A frequent flier levy would be unfair for the many people who have families living overseas, one opponent of the tax has argued.
An environmental group, Opportunity Green, has urged the Government to introduce higher taxes on the aviation sector in order to reduce demand and bring down carbon emissions.
Some have argued that this could be done with a ‘frequent flier’ levy that gets more expensive every time a person takes a trip, thus impacting those who travel the most.
On Lunchtime Live, listener Louis said he would “absolutely not” be happy to pay more to fly abroad.
“It’s not that I’m ant-global warming, it’s that we’re the highest taxed country in the world,” he said.
“We also collect €5 billion every year in green taxes and it should be dedicated to approving the roads and the structures and this is not happening.
“I’m on the roads all day, every day, and it’s getting worse and worse because they are not investing in infrastructure.”
Aer Lingus planes at Dublin Airport. Picture by: Alamy.com. Louis added that as a nation of emigrants, flying is a necessity for many families.
“I have family abroad - like lots of Irish people have families abroad,” he said.
“They go out to see them as much as they can; it’s expensive enough trying to do that.
“It’s also emotionally difficult with your family being away.
“I just feel it’s the thin edge of the wedge, before you know it goes up and up.”
A plane landing at Dublin Airport. Picture by: Alamy.com. Also on the programme, listener Sheila said has “always loved to travel” and has done so quite a lot since her retirement.
“But I also consider myself to be an environmentalist, so I would happy to pay a tax,” she explained.
“I do think we need to be paying a lot more attention to the environment.
“I think the fact that we’re an island nation does make us more likely to have to take a flight to get anywhere because going by ferries can take a long time.
“If that tax is levied - and I’d be very happy to pay it if it is - there needs to be some accountability for it.”
Sheila added that given the waste in Government, any revenue raised “needs to be ringfenced” for the environment.
Main image: Children at Dublin Airport. Picture by: Alamy.com.
