Those who fly to Thailand or elsewhere in 2021 will spend more money on their ticket. The cabinet will go one in that year flight tax introducing about 7 euros per ticket, sources report to RTL Nieuws. In addition, there will also be a levy for polluting and noisy aircraft.
The cabinet wants to discourage air travel because it is bad for the environment and causes CO2 emissions. The measure should generate 200 million euros per year for the treasury.
The Dutch government has not succeeded in making agreements about a flight tax at a European level. There is therefore a good chance that Dutch travelers in the border areas will divert to Germany and Belgium, which also happened in 2008 when an air passenger tax was introduced. Foreign airports, just across the border, then noticed a sharp increase in the number of Dutch people. Düsseldorf airport had 62 percent more Dutch people. Brussels South Charleroi Airport processed 74 percent more Dutch passengers and at Airport Weeze in Germany, the number of Dutch people even increased by three hundred percent. After a year, the tax was abolished again due to the deteriorating competitive position of Dutch aviation.
Airline opponents
The positive effects on the environment are contested by the airports and travel organizations who argue that if flying becomes more expensive, travelers will more often opt for a car holiday or drive to an airport just across the border. All in all, the environment would be more heavily burdened. It is also argued that the money that is brought in through the flight tax is not spent on the environment, but 'disappears' to the general budget. Another side effect is that airlines may choose not to fly from Dutch airports anymore, at the expense of employment.
Research agency CE Delft previously analyzed ten different types of charges and concluded that in all cases 95 percent of travelers continue to fly. A 'social cost-benefit analysis' by CE Delft would show that the flight tax hardly contributes to lower CO2 emissions. If the government introduced a flight tax, less than 5 percent of travelers would opt for an alternative.
SEO research institute also investigated the flight tax five years ago. This study shows that the tax costs more than it generates. The researchers calculate that such a flight tax costs the Dutch economy at least 700 million euros annually.
Sources: NU.nl, RTL news, De Telegraaf.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference Katowice 2018 on climate change, which will be held in Katowice (Poland) from 3 to 14 December 2018, will be attended by 20.000 participants from 190 countries. Including politicians, representatives of non-governmental organizations, scientists and business leaders. The Netherlands is also there with a heavy delegation.
And you can guess, almost everyone came by plane...... LOL So maybe the Dutch government should set a good example first. When will we see smiley face Rutte on the train?
And the irony is that Poland, with all its coal-fired power plants, is one of the biggest polluters in Europe. The government of Poland has already announced that it does not want to do anything about it…. (unless Europe comes along with billions of course). See: https://downtoearthmagazine.nl/waarom-polen-houdt-van-kolen/
The Walloon Minister of the Environment of Belgium even took a private jet !!!
Every day our cabinet finds something else to drag money out of. Would like to see more attention paid to those who put millions of PGB in their pocket and I could go on and on.
Notice now that the groceries have already become much more expensive and then the VAT has not yet been increased.
Excise cigarettes, etc. are getting more expensive, have not considered that if we stop drinking and smoking that there will be no excise tax. Those guys themselves fly around the world on our tax money.
Recently had a meeting abroad had to be paid extra transfer was 1 1/2 hours according to the airline company 45 minutes is enough and I know from experience that it works.
When I was younger I would emigrate.
To be honest, I don't mind if flying gets more expensive.
It would only be nice if that money was spent on something like solar energy.
After all, an oil well runs dry once.
But it looks like that money is going back into the government's huge piggy bank.
I wonder what kind of mischief the government expects, trying to scrape together money from everywhere.
Wouldn't anyone from the government know that if things really go wrong, money has no value anymore.
Just another ordinary way of the Dutch government to rake in money. If it was really about getting people to choose an alternative way of traveling, introduce a flight tax of 100 – 200 euros on European flights. Within Europe, traveling by bus or train is easy to do and with a high flight tax, your bus and train would really help.
Of course not if you have to go to Asia, USA / Canada, South America. So no flight tax on those routes.
Incidentally, I cannot find any government leaders / representatives who set a good example. I have not seen anyone do a train ride to Katowice. All by plane. I don't see anyone taking the train to meetings in Paris or Brussels either. Everything by plane. Pathetic display.
Not at all sure other countries will go along with this. Perhaps an extra reason to fly from Dusseldorf, or Belgium? In the meantime, stock up VERY thick in the car, 200 liters of drink, full tank, 2/3 cartons of cigarettes….
Depending on where you live you do that in Luxembourg, it's all bingo and ball.
There are plenty of people on benefits who now want to drive you up and down in your car for petrol and some purchases...
First of all, let them start closing Lelystad and increasing those very cheap airline tickets that are even cheaper than train tickets.
They don't do that because their friends in politics need to be able to go on holiday cheaply 5-6 times a year
I believe that this government will no longer be in place.
Revolution will come over Europe and maybe we will all become refugees in Thailand.
If you live in the Amsterdam area, another airport is not really an option, unless you are traveling together as a large group. For me, the cost of my front door to Schiphol Plaza is just under 3 euros. Transport to another airport costs a lot more and also causes a lot of travel inconvenience. In addition, most flights only depart from Schiphol and people in The Hague know this very well. It's just another cash cow. I'm curious what the next tax will be. VAT on airline meals perhaps?
The Dutch are tame sheep. At the next elections they will again be influenced by a joke that promises them 1000 euros or bravely shouts 'get off' at flag-waving Turks.
We all complain together but do nothing to change it. It has been written before, they are a cowardly people. Watching a TV program BzV is more important than delving into the future of your children.
Actually, this is just a tax increase. Nothing more and less.
Barry
nothing to do with CO2 like the car sticker for certain cities.
it has shown in research that the total in the city does not matter
the bill for a large city where everyone has to work at 8 o'clock in the morning is another addition to the state treasury.
As soon as I am finished with my cancer treatment, I will leave with the first best plane with f without tax to our beautiful Thailand in the Isaan.
I can receive all Dutch channels but will avoid the political program because I have learned that if Rutte says good morning, he has lied.
but if I'm still here in March I already know what I'm not voting for