Scottish government abandons air passenger tax pledge

The Scottish government has abandoned plans to cut and eventually scrap air passenger tax, saying that the policy was no longer compatible with its climate change goals. The move is a policy U-turn for the Scottish National party, and follows the declaration last month by Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, of a “climate emergency”.  The SNP promised in its 2016 manifesto to halve and then abolish the air passenger duty, saying the levy made it harder to secure and maintain international routes from Scottish airports, and so held back the tourism industry.  But the policy had been criticised for promoting air travel, a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as for mainly benefiting relatively affluent people and increasing pressure on other areas of government spending.  The SNP plans to convert air passenger duty to an “air departure tax” and halve the rate had already been stalled by difficulties in maintaining an existing exemption for flights from the Scottish Highlands and Islands. <br/>