Household - Federal government wants to increase ticket tax on passenger flights
The German government wants to raise the ticket tax on passenger flights due to the budget crisis. The air traffic tax will be adjusted, the federal government spokesperson announced on Tuesday with a view to the agreement on the 2024 federal budget.
This means that the possible introduction of a national kerosene tax is off the table. Kerosene used in commercial aviation is exempt from energy tax. A paper from the Ministry of Economic Affairs had stated: "Among other things, we will tax kerosene in national air traffic in the future."
The Federal Association of the German Air Transport Industry had sharply criticized the possible introduction of a national kerosene tax. The state location costs in Germany are already the highest in Europe. A national tax on kerosene within Germany would make feeder traffic to German hubs more expensive and thus shift traffic to other European and international countries.
As the spokesperson for the German government has now announced, the air traffic tax will be adjusted annually to generate additional revenue in the amount of the privileged energy tax on kerosene in domestic air traffic. "This would lead to additional revenue of up to 580 million euros per year from 2024."
The ticket tax introduced in 2011 by the then black-yellow government to balance the budget has so far generated revenue of around one billion euros a year. The airlines have to pay the surcharges, which are staggered according to route.
Last Wednesday, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) agreed on how to plug billions of euros in the federal budget for 2024 and in the climate and transformation fund following a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court.
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- The announcement by the German government spokesperson indicates that the air traffic tax will be adjusted annually to generate additional revenue, matching the privileged energy tax on kerosene in domestic air traffic.
- The federal government's decision to raise the ticket tax on passenger flights is driven by the current budget crisis, and the revenue generated will help alleviate the financial strain.
- In contrast to the rumors about a national kerosene tax, the spokesperson clarified that the air traffic tax will be the primary source of additional revenue, avoiding any increases in costs for airline fuel.
- The Federal Association of the German Air Transport Industry heavily criticized the proposed national kerosene tax, citing the high state location costs in Germany and the potential for increasing feeder traffic costs, causing a shift towards other countries.
- Given the current budget crisis, the German government is actively exploring various methods to generate additional revenue, with adjustments to the air traffic tax being one of the primary strategies, according to a spokesperson from the government.
Source: www.stern.de
