To think we need to increase taxes on flights. If you fly more you pay more.

[ThereWillBeAdequateFood]

Just that really. I think something like 70% of all flights are taken by 30% of people.

I think we need to move to a system where the tax increases the more you fly. Something like (per year)

10% tax for the first 1000 miles
20% tax for the next 1000 miles
30% tax for the next 1000 miles
40% tax for the next 1000 miles (etc).

AIBU? Should we tax flights more?

@ScreamingValalalalahLalalalah I agree but perhaps now it's more ingrained there will be less resistance. I've noticed that many tills don't even have bags to hand.

Let's tackle big industry pollution first, coal especially. Let's look at more energy-efficient building insulation etc. The benefits of travel still outweigh the negatives but there are too many people wanting to lock us up in our villages nowadays. Big polluters find that very convenient...

The tunnel is fab if you're driving. I'd do it again just for the very weird experience of driving my car on a railway platform and then on to a train.

And at Calais, you come off the train straight on to the motorway.

People who drive huge, fuel guzzling cars, pay higher taxes & it doesn't stop them

So, why do you think increasing taxes on flights, will stop people flying - it won't !

There must also be goods that are transported via air freight too

It’s an idea in principle but the problem is the Prince Harry types; numerous private jets in a year but my rich buddy paid to offset the carbon so I’ll just keep on thanks suckers - those who can afford it tend to not be bothered by additional charges and the majority who save for one family trip abroad will the ones penalised. Pp comments re imported foods is probably more of an unnecessary contributing factor than people from - why are we not eating seasonal foods grown in the UK? - having avocados year round is not natural ( not that it is natural in the UK anyway) - the impact of the commercialisation of foods is also damaging communities ( I recall a journalist talking about natives not being able to afford avocados to wean their children because of the costs whereas this was traditionally what they would use before it became a fad food across the world) as well are the environment ( see also palm oil)

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/12/hispters-handle-unpalatable-truth-avocado-toast

The aviation and tourism industry is huge though and masses of jobs depend on it. Surely we should be looking to giant industries like aviation to start being greener rather than penalising the consumer and subsequently people trying to make a living?

It’s also all well and good for people have already been on plenty of foreign holidays, had their desired number of children and experienced luxuries at the expensive of the environment to go on about what other people should do - by what about younger people and people from newly developed countries who now want those opportunities too? We need better, greener ways of powering our society not just bans and taxes.

I like a pp's post about doing away with 1st and business classes. Make everyone travel rammed into economy. Less flights would be needed coz you'd get more people on each one. Plus the discomfort would put off more people than tax increases.

why are we not eating seasonal foods grown in the UK?

Good luck with that. At some times of the year we'd be left with turnips.

YANBU. Flying is a luxury (even to see a dying grandma in Australia).

The OP's proposal doesn't actually stop the avoidable/worst journeys, i.e. internal/short haul flights. They should be targeted first because the journeys are often possible by alternative means, i.e. trains between UK cities, or road/rail via the Channel Tunnel.

Let's tackle the things WE can do, as a country, first. Pointless us taxing long haul flights out of the UK when we have no influence on flights in other countries/continents such as China/India/America etc. That just harms us and doesn't really improve anything globally.

Let's stop any new UK airport building/growth to at least stop the number of flights increasing, and put all our energies into improving other transport options, such as HS2, HS3 etc. so people don't need to fly between UK cities - we really don't as the distances are pretty short!

Flying is a luxury (even to see a dying grandma in Australia).

Have you given up seeing a dying relative for the sake of ideology?

Juliette20 😂😂😂😂😂 thanks that made me laugh ... quite like turnips but was thinking along the likes of greenhouses - there’s a few companies which use this method in the UK... I’m sure there is an environmental impact but probably less than air freight

The tunnel is fab if you're driving.

If you live in that corner of the country, yes. If you live in the North, you have several hours of driving on pretty heavily congested motorways until you get there, so not a pleasant experience. Hence why people fly instead! Now if we had HS2 and HS3, we could probably have car transporting trains from the North - that's a much more pleasant option - drive onto a train in, say, Newcastle, and drive off in Calais. If only?

The OP's proposal doesn't actually stop the avoidable/worst journeys, i.e. internal/short haul flights. They should be targeted first because the journeys are often possible by alternative means, i.e. trains between UK cities, or road/rail via the Channel Tunnel

This is an excellent point. Cheaper / better rail networks needed too?

The fuel should be taxed for environmental reasons, not the number of flights or miles travelled. That way the airlines will have to improve fuel economy as they will have to pass on this cost to passengers. Short flights may end up costing more if they are inefficient, baggage allowance may be reduced or charged for. I think passenger weight will eventually need to be taken into account too.

Catinthefireplace oh come on, really, we don't have a 'right' to see our dying relatives? You don't think that could be a tiny bit more important than most of the business meetings people are flying on and all of the holidays? Do you have no empathy at all for your fellow human beings?

How many people do you think would actually decide not to visit a dying person or attend their funeral because of the carbon emissions?

We have limited money so the visits to dying fathers meant no money for holiday flights anyway.

@Songsofexperience problem is our effect on the environment is a very real problem not an ideology

Have you given up seeing a dying relative for the sake of ideology

We haven’t always been able to drop everything when we want.

My grandmother couldn’t travel (it was only 100 miles but it was a long time ago) to see her dying father. She couldn’t afford the bus fair or the time off work. Being able to fly around the world isn’t a right.

Crikey, think how much admin cost there will be to administer this extra tax.

Will all countries implement this?

How about a window tax. Most greenhouse gas emissions are generated through using fossil fuels for heating, and windows (even double/triple glazed) are responsible for approximately 10% of building heat loss.

Modern architecture requires lots of lovely natural light and huge windows, so tax them.

@ViveLEntenteCordiale

Catinthefireplace oh come on, really, we don't have a 'right' to see our dying relatives? No, we don't have a "right"

You don't think that could be a tiny bit more important than most of the business meetings people are flying on and all of the holidays? Of course it's more important than that, but that doesn't make it a right.

Do you have no empathy at all for your fellow human beings? I think I do - I'd feel really sorry for anyone in that situation

How many people do you think would actually decide not to visit a dying person or attend their funeral because of the carbon emissions? Very few, that's why it needs to be a government imposed tax, not just reliant on individual choice.

No one should be flying now, it's that simple (not without some MASSIVE carbon offsetting)

In 200 years when our great grandchildren are scratching the earth for fungus they will all think we fiddled while Rome burned

We are terminally stupid

Now if we had HS2 and HS3, we could probably have car transporting trains from the North - that's a much more pleasant option - drive onto a train in, say, Newcastle, and drive off in Calais. If only?

It's not a particularly pleasant option for the people living along the route though. You should also take into account the amount of diesel that will be burned to construct them.

Most greenhouse gas emissions are generated through using fossil fuels for heating, and windows (even double/triple glazed) are responsible for approximately 10% of building heat loss.
Why not just tax all fossil fuels and let people manage that cost as they choose? Some people have heating up high and wear a t-shirt in winter, some leave windows open and heating on, some may have bigger windows but put up with a colder house and wear a jumper.

The fuel should be taxed for environmental reasons

Only if international fuel duties/taxes are agreed. Otherwise we'll end up with the similar situation to lorries filling up with fuel before they cross the channel to avoid buying it in the UK. I know flights are different due to amounts of fuel they're allowed to land with, but you could unwittingly start causing short flights to leave the UK and land at new hubs in Europe where fuel is cheaper before flying to the final destination.