ABTA has appealed to the Government to make sweeping changes to air passenger duty (APD).
The association submitted its representation to the Treasury ahead of the Autumn Budget, the first since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister, this week.
Among its asks, ABTA has urged the Chancellor to avoid further inflation-busting rises in APD and called for a freeze to APD rates for the remainder of this Parliament.
Other proposed APD reforms include making all children exempt and removing Premium Economy passengers from higher rates. Currently, only children flying economy class under the age of 16 are exempt from APD, while older teenagers and children flying in premium cabins are charged.
ABTA has also asked the Government to deliver its commitment to agree a Youth Experience Scheme with the EU and called for ‘targeted support’ for high street travel businesses.
It underlined the vital role the industry plays in creating economic growth, presenting its own research showing that outbound travel alone supports more than 818,000 jobs and contributes £52 billion in annual Gross Value Added to the UK economy.
ABTA Director of Public Affairs Luke Petherbridge said: “Travel and tourism is a vitally important industry supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and contributing billions of pounds to the UK economy each year.
“The new Prime Minister and his cabinet have an incredible opportunity in their first budget to support the industry by avoiding further travel tax increases and help hard pressed families by removing children entirely from the tax regime.
“Young people could also benefit immensely if the Government were to follow through on its commitment to a Youth Mobility scheme. This would once more give the opportunity for those starting out on their careers to work on the continent which would also help to address a skills and staffing shortage in the travel industry.”
