Meeting of the Parliament 25 April 2017
As of next year, the Scottish Parliament will set the rates for a new Scottish air departure tax. That presents the Government with an opportunity to design a tax around the needs of the Scottish economy and to boost international connectivity and help to generate sustainable growth. Our current level of air passenger duty, as the UK tax is known, makes it one of the highest taxes of its kind in the world, and by far the highest of its kind in Europe. Our Government stood on a manifesto commitment to reduce the tax, which will put Scottish airports on a more even footing with many other European airports that hope to secure the same airlines and routes as our local airports.
I welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to helping our airports to secure new international connections. I hope that we will be successful in securing new links with Europe, new long-haul routes and good connections to world hubs. That will show that Scotland is open and ready to do business on an international stage.
Many submissions to the Finance and Constitution Committee claimed that an ADT reduction would lead to increases in routes, capacity and passengers. Several airlines, such as easyJet and Ryanair, have confirmed that, as they are already making commitments to increase their presence in Scotland if such a reduction is implemented. That offers the prospect of a significant boost to our economy that will help businesses, create jobs and boost tourism. All of that should be welcomed.
In my region, and particularly in the islands, air travel is not a luxury but a necessity for businesses and communities. It is often the simplest and most practical way for people to get to where they need to be. For many folk in the islands, air travel is essential for both their professional and private lives. Many people who fly to and from the islands and other parts of Scotland do so out of necessity rather than choice. It was said in evidence to the committee that one in four passengers who travel on routes from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen to the Highlands and Islands are funded directly by a public service such as a council or the national health service, which funds patients and staff who need to travel. When I worked for the NHS, I regularly had to fly from Inverness simply to be able to do my job. Choosing to fly to attend an education session in London represented the difference between one day off work and three.
Loganair alone carries about 500,000 passengers a year on routes that are exclusively in Scotland, and all bar one of those routes cross a body of water. On many routes, trains will not be a viable travel option, and all other alternatives to flying will often be significantly more time consuming and impractical. Even from an environmental perspective, particularly on those routes where trains are not an option—for example, between Edinburgh and Lerwick—to travel by car and ferry could generate more emissions than a direct air journey.
It is clearly important for the local economy that the current exemption under APD for flights departing from the Highlands and Islands is continued under the new tax. The exemption ensures that there is no added expense for that essential travel, so I am really pleased to see that the Scottish Government supports it in principle and hopes to implement it as long as it complies with state-aid law, as any exemption of that sort rightly should.
There is an obvious concern that a reduction in air departure tax will lead to an increase in aviation emissions due to the additional routes and flights operating in Scotland. I welcome the prospect of additional investment and economic activity as a result of a reduction. However, as someone who is committed to addressing climate change, I would be concerned by any suggestion of a significant increase in emissions. I am comforted by the fact that the Committee on Climate Change has found that any increase in emissions as a result of the change is likely to be manageable.
The Government’s consultation paper on ADT estimated that a 50 per cent reduction in the tax would lead to a maximum increase in aviation emissions of around 3 per cent, which would be an increase of only 0.1 per cent of total Scottish emissions.