The Visit Britain website is a mine of useful information. Even though I left the country over 40 years ago I still enjoy visiting, not only because of the redoubtable Mother, but because it is stunningly beautiful and historic. And I always encourage others to do the same. Indeed, just this summer we will be hosting a small group of Americans who have never visited Britain before, and on doing the research I am seriously amazed and impressed at the deals available for foreigners. Welcome to Britain!
Rio Tinto dilemma. But I digress.]
In Britain's case it all revolves around the now "hidden" subject of Air Passenger Duty (APD) - in other words, Departure Tax.
In the most recent British budget - and presumably to act as an incentive for Britons to stay at home rather than go and enrich some other economy during their holidays, there is about to be introduced a higher APD. Great for the British Government revenues and of course for Britain - or is it?
If you are a UK based businessman who travels overseas to acquire business which will ultimately benefit Britain, you are going to be paying more for the privilege - or at least your company is going to pay. If you are a British tourist who wants to go overseas on holiday, in the most economical class of travel, it will cost you more, (and heaven help you if you want to move up to World Traveller Plus). And if you are a foreign tourist, like our summer visitors who are a source of revenue to Britain, you can get in to the country, no problem - but then you have to pay to leave!!
An example as supplied by a friend who has looked into this carefully (it is complicated by distance, but I will use Hong Kong):
Current APD: £40 Economy. £80 Any other class
In Nov 2009 will go to: £50 £100
And Nov 2010 will reach: £75 £150
So today, the minimum airport tax to leave the UK on an economy class ticket is £40 - already the most expensive in the world. By November 2010 it will almost have doubled to £75. If you are a business traveller or tourist, who travels even just a little further up the plane, you will be paying £150 before the end of 2010!
And before anyone claims that this is all to do with the "greening of Britain", none of these taxes is earmarked for use for environmental purposes or research and development of cleaner engines or fuels or technology improvements or anything to do with aviation or climate change.They simply go into general revenue. So, a "Brown-ing of Britain" in effect. (I wonder if Government Ministers or other Civil Servants are exempt from airport taxes?)
One quotable quote (I suspect the others were unprintable!) I have seen, was from the IATA Director General and CEO, Giovani Bisignani who said “It is time for the UK to realise that APD is penalising one of its most powerful economic catalysts at the same time that is spending billions to bail out other failed industries.”
Hear hear, Giovani; on one hand the international business community that is a generator of revenue for Britain, and the tourism industry which does rather well from the arrival of foreign tourists, have been well and truly stuffed - to use a rather crude expression. But what a good move by the "Bayou Beauties", the ladies from Louisiana who chose the Summer of '09 to make their trip to the UK. They will still have to pay to leave - but it would have been a lot more next year.
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