Easy Jet Dismisses Talk Of Climate Tax As "Lunacy" - Guardian

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The budget airline easyJet today dismissed as "lunacy" calls for higher aviation taxes as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Europe's second-largest budget carrier said a call by MPs on the environmental audit committee for higher air passenger duty was an example of "lazy thinking" and "just gives the chancellor Gordon Brown more money".

The MPs proposed taxing each flight, rather than the present arrangement of charging for each passenger, in order to encourage airlines to be more efficient in filling their services. The MPs suggested the tax could also be extended to cover air freight.

EasyJet insisted, however, that low-cost airlines were the solution, as they were equipped with the quietest and cleanest aircraft and avoided "inefficient hubbing" by flying directly to their destinations.

"The low-cost model is more efficient than the traditional model," said Toby Nicol, head of corporate communications at easyJet. "It's fine to have higher taxes for dirty cars, but we are one of the world's cleanest airlines. We're the Toyota Prius of our industry." Mr Nicol said higher air taxes would take air travel back to 10 years ago when only the affluent could afford to travel. "What government is going to tell people, is: 'Sorry you can't go to Spain, you've got to go to Margate,'" he said.

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http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1839057,00.html