Companies and airports have decided to stand together against the announced tripling of the tax on air transport. The National Federation of Aviation and its Trades (FNAM) and the Union of French Airports (UAF) met on Monday October 14 to denounce the « choc fiscal » that the Barnier government wants to impose on the aviation sector. The objective is to increase “green taxation of 1.8 billion euros” from January or April 2025, including one billion euros for air transport alone.
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Budget: the government wants to heavily tax plane tickets
Add to your selections
In detail, a specific tax on business aviation and the increase in that on plane tickets (TSBA), known as the “Chirac tax”, would now take 150 million per year from private jet companies and 850 million euros on commercial aviation. “The aviation sector would bear more than 50% of this tax even though it only represents 6% of CO emissions2 »exclaimed Pascal de Izaguirre, president of the FNAM, who fears “a weakening of the French flag”déjà “fallen to 38% market share this year”faced with the surge of foreign and low-cost companies.
According to the boss of FNAM, airlines and airports are worried about“a shift to foreign hubs (…) who do not support the same type of constraints”. Thomas Juin, president of the UAF, questions the fact that there was no impact study “before taxing a billion”.
Younger and younger passengers
The president of the FNAM refuses this “unbearable caricature”which promotes the idea that “air travel is only for the rich”. According to a study by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, aircraft customers are “comparable to that of TGVs”. With increasingly young passengers: in 2023, 45% were under 35 years old, compared to 40% in 2016. Above all, note the FNAM and the UAF, this measure “goes against the path followed by the other states of the European Union”. Twenty of the twenty-seven EU countries have no or no longer any specific taxation on air transport.
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Air transport: an NGO wants to hit passengers in the wallet to reduce the sector’s CO₂ emissions
Add to your selections
The UAF and the FNAM are demanding from the State “a real consultation, a serious impact study and a reduction of the impact [de cette taxe] on the airline sector ». The two organizations oppose “a counter-proposal: distribute the burden to other sectors which could show solidarity”. In their sights, the merchant navy or digital technology, both high CO emitters2. Failing to achieve this, “the State, which is in the red, will (…) drive there [tout le secteur aérien] »fears Mr. de Izaguirre.
Related News :