MSE News: Air fares to rise as Government hikes taxes

malkie76

Sorry dpassmore - my poor choice of wording! I didn't mean that you described APD as a ripoff, just that no-one can call it a rip-off when it's an optional charge.

If you give a Nigerian lawyer £100 'admin-fee' for a bank transfer of a million pounds then he disappears you've been ripped off. If you give the government tax for a flight that you choose to take, and the charges are totally transparent then you can't have claimed to be ripped off. (Again, I know that you didn't use the term rip-off, I'm just reposting my point).

You are actually agreeing with my point as you conceed that a TV license is optional, as is owning a car, as is taking a flight anywhere.

Neither yourself (nor anyone else) has posted a concrete example of someone who absolutely has to fly somewhere. It's true that business can benefit from face-to-face meetings, and that certain medical treatments are only available in certain countries. However, it's still a choice to make those trips, and hence APD is 100% optional.

I totally agree there are plenty of stealth taxes in the UK, and many of our taxation policies are totally unfair. However, that doesn't alter that APD is totally optional. If you disagree with it then don't fly.