Browse by topic: Aviation, Pricing and taxation

Filters:

Aviation's ETS objections are baseless

Sketch of some documents (default image for news

OpinionBy Jos Dings - T&E Director
In recent weeks a number of foreign airlines have been heard complaining about their inclusion from next year in Europe’s emissions trading system (EU-ETS). It was no coincidence that the collective moan emanated from the industry’s annual gathering in Singapore. Nothing rallies the airline troops like a rant against environmental policy, and the journalists who had shown up in Singapore had to write about something. But this time, even Willie Walsh, boss of British Airways, found himself speaking out against a law he himself favoured when it was in the making. His complaints echoed warnings from Airbus of a trade war in a letter to the European Commission.

Community guidelines on financing of airports and start-up aid to airlines

Sketch of a book (default image for publications

T&E response to the EU consultation on the Community Guidelines on financing of airports and start-up aid to airlines departing from regional airports

Consultation response

T&E response to the VAT consultation

T&E reply to the Consultation of the European Commission on the ‘Green Paper on the future of VAT– Towards a simpler, more robust and efficient VAT system’

Consultation response

Review of air rules

The Commission is to review the rules on state aid for the aviation sector.

Airlines reject the deal of the century

T&E's Bill Hemmings writes in the Financial Times on behalf of the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation (ICSA), 13 April 2011:

Sir, Jeff Smisek, chief executive of the newly merged United and Continental Airlines, balks at the thought of paying his share of the estimated €1.1bn cost of the aviation sector joining the European Union’s emissions trading scheme from next year (“United warns EU on carbon rule”, April 4).

T&E welcomes EU plans to raise minimum diesel taxes

Transport & Environment has welcomed a European Commission proposal to raise minimum diesel tax rates in Europe, as new research shows the average fuel tax in Europe has declined in real terms by 10 cents a litre since 1999.

WTO says US gave illegal aid to Boeing

The World Trade Organisation has ruled that the American aircraft maker Boeing received illegal subsidies from the US government to develop its 787 plane, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said this month.

Time to stop subsidising the most polluting form of transport

Opinion By Jos Dings - T&E Director
Late last month, the World Trade Organisation told the USA and the EU what it thinks of US subsidies to Boeing (story, page 2). Last June, the WTO delivered a similar verdict on EU subsidies to Airbus. Of course both sides claim that the other’s subsidies are worse – we can’t yet check these claims because the WTO report won’t be published for another few weeks, but it is clear that Airbus received more taxpayer-backed ‘sweet’ loans, while Boeing received more direct subsidies, which are generally recognised as very distorting.

Sowing the seeds of smarter transport policy

Opinion by Jos Dings - T&E Director
Did we miss something? Last year, the European Commission didn’t propose a single new legislative measure to clean up transport. To be fair, it has been spending most of its time worrying about the future of the Eurozone. As a result, for T&E this was the sort of year where seeds for smarter transport policy were sown. We’re optimistic that next year could bring a decent crop of positive changes.

New call for carbon charges on aviation and shipping

A United Nations body set up after last year’s Copenhagen climate change summit has recommended increased taxes on carbon emissions and air and sea transport with the aim of raising $100 billion a year to help poorer nations fight global warming.

Top menu