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Comments (3)
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Save/ShareStarting in the New Year, Americans flying to European airports may have to pay roughly €6 to €12 (or about $8 to $16) per transatlantic plane ticket in surcharges.
The reason? The European Union has passed a law forcing airlines in the U.S. and other non-EU countries to pay for certificates for permission to emit carbon dioxide in its airspace.
But today a court ruled that the EU regulation is allowed under international law (decision, here). E.U. officials said they plan to go ahead with implementing the charge.
In response, support is growing for a bill in the House of Representatives that threatens to ban all flights to Europe from the U.S. unless the E.U. drops the law. That's how mad some Congressional members are about the legislation, which affects any plane that lands at a E.U. airport. It's doubtful such a ban would ever pass, though, and is just an effort at negotiating.
Earlier this week, India joined China in condemning the new E.U. law, too.
The E.U.'s attitude is “my way or the skyway,” as The Economist puts it. The E.U. claims that it is not creating a tax; it is creating a "pollution ceiling." It says that it is giving airlines an asset that they can trade on a public market, and that the market sets the value of the asset which is based on a right to pollute “a scarce and limited public resource."
What do you think? Are you willing to pay a surcharge of up to $16 per ticket to help prevent the environment? Or is the E.U. out of line?
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It's a tax pure and simple. Where is the money going? It's certainly not going to stop pollution. The tax is for a certificate allowing an airline to pollute. How ridiculous! I guess the money grubbing greedy EU has to find some way to raise money to alleviate their debt crisis. It will backfire on them when tourism nosedives, if it's ever actually implemented.
Posted By Mile High on October 13, 2011, 11:53 AM
I'm sorry, but the EU's claim doesn't even make sense! What on earth are they talking about? "a pollution ceiling"? an asset the airlines can "trade on public market"?
They are SO grasping at straws!
Posted By mlboyer on October 14, 2011, 2:44 PM
What will they think of next?
Posted By travelbug on October 14, 2011, 7:01 PM