Why you need to visit France before 2020
France are planning on introducing a new charge on plane tickets from next year. The country plans on using the revenue to fund environmentally friendly alternatives, according to the country’s transport minister Elisabeth Borne.
The “ecotax” will cost between 1.50 euros ($AUD 2.40) and 18 euros ($AUD 29) and will apply to most flights departing from France.
However, industry group IATA is favouring a system that allows airlines to offset their emissions by paying for carbon reduction efforts elsewhere. They are calling the ticket charge system “misguided”.
“National taxes will do nothing to assist the aviation industry in its sustainability efforts,” IATA spokesman Anthony Concil said, according to news.com.au.
“This alone won’t do much, but it’s at least a recognition by the French government that more is required,” said Andrew Murphy, an air travel expert at Brussels-based group Transport and Environment.
Germany, Italy and some Nordic nations have ticket taxes.
Germany’s Environment Ministry said on Tuesday that it supported discussions on additional CO2-based pricing systems for air travel to reduce the industry’s contribution to man-made greenhouse gas emissions.
“What’s more, the conditions for competition between air, road and rail travel need to be made fairer,” the ministry said in a statement.
“This is something we in Europe need to achieve together.”