“Honest aviation tax would increase the Belgian state treasury 700 million euros” – Muricas News

If Belgium have been to tax aviation “pretty”, this might yield 700 million euros for the state treasury. This was calculated by the European environmental umbrella group Transport & Setting, of which the Bond Beter Leefmilieu is a member.

“The evaluation checked out what the earnings for the federal government finances can be if the sector have been taxed pretty, taking into consideration the big local weather impression of aviation,” explains BBL. “In Belgium, for instance, there isn't any kerosene tax, the flight tax and VAT are very low and there may be solely a carbon tax for flights inside Europe.”

Presently, the hole between precise revenues and what taxes would yield to the sector if there have been no exemptions, in accordance with T&E, is EUR 700 million in Belgium. “That's 350 occasions the quantity that the federal government offers to assist the evening trains,” notes BBL. “As air site visitors continues to rise to pre-covid ranges, the tax hole will solely widen additional,” it additionally reads. By 2025, the quantity might rise to 950 million euros.

Throughout Europe, governments ignore a complete of 34.2 billion euros in taxes, in accordance with T&E. “This might pay for 1,400 kilometers of high-speed rail infrastructure, the space between Hamburg and Rome,” the umbrella group notes. Based mostly on passenger expectations, the quantity would rise to 47.1 billion over two years.

T&E and BBL are due to this fact calling for a heavier burden on the aviation sector. That can improve ticket costs and reduce demand for air site visitors, which in flip will end in “much less harm to well being from particulate matter and noise air pollution, and a lower in CO2 emissions”, they are saying.