Over recent years there has been an enormous increase in the amount of air traffic around the world resulting in various problems, and a major cause of this has been the growth of low-cost airlines. Although some people believe that taxes should be increased for air travel, I disagree.
Those that support taxing airlines believe that this will result in a reduction in this type of travel and thus solve the problems of pollution, noise and construction. This is because a tax would make the cost of travelling more expensive, which will, they claim, lead to a decrease in demand. Proponents of this solution believe that taxes are fair because everyone has to pay them and it is a workable solution that will have the additional bonus of providing an income for the government.
However, there are a number of reasons why this is not the right course of action. Firstly, a tax is not fair because it will adversely affect people on lower incomes. Such a tax would have to be a fixed amount paid equally whether you are rich or poor, which means that those on lower incomes would find it more difficult to travel, but it would likely have little effect on the lives of those with a higher income. In addition, such a tax would not work. For example, we have seen taxes increase in most countries on cars, but this has had little affect, with car use continuing to grow.
To sum up, it is evident that introducing heavy taxes on air travel is not fair or workable. If we continue to explore alternatives, we can continue to enjoy the benefits that air travel offers.