German environment minister calls for higher tax on air travel
Rheinische Post
Ahead of the climate cabinet鈥檚 next meeting, German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze is calling for 鈥渁 fair CO2 price for air travel鈥�, the . She told the paper she was "committed to cross-border CO2 pricing in air travel," and expected 鈥渢he new European Commission to make ambitious and rapid proposals in this area,鈥� but said Germany could not wait to get every EU state on board. Following French plans to , Schulze said she was in favour of increasing German aviation tax 鈥渁s a first step鈥�. Germany has levied an aviation tax since 2011, currently at . The tax raised 1.2 billion euros for the federal budget in 2018.
Emissions from air travel are rising fast, and have become a focus of public attention in recent months, both in Germany and across Europe. Leading climate researchers and several politicians have called for radical steps to reduce air travel. Aviation is subject to different taxes across Europe, such as VAT on domestic flights and airport taxes, but aeroplane fuel is exempt from levies thanks to an international agreement from 1944.
