Families’£161 tax bill for holiday flights

FAMILIES flying off on holiday will pay £161 in taxes before they even board the plane, it has been calculated.

An analysis by the TaxPayers’ Alliance found that holidaymakers will pay £2.4 billion in tax – £900million more than they did in 2008. The figures come as pressure mounts on Theresa May to cut VAT.

Overall, a family of four travelling to Spain with two children from the UK this summer will face an average bill of £161.20 on their flights and holiday purchases. A family of four travelling to Florida from the UK will pay an average bill of £253, a 40pc increase since 2008.

The Scottish Government has pledged to reduce the burden of Air Passenger Duty (APD) in Scotland by 50 per cent between 2018 and 2021.

Since 2008, when the TaxPayers’ Alliance began compiling data, taxes on holidays have increased by more than £900million.

Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of the British Air Transport Association, the trade body for UK airlines, said: “APD is a departure tax on the hard-pressed British traveller.

“It is the highest levy of its kind in Europe – by a long way – and the Treasury should be upfront about why it is prepared to see families in this country pay substantially more to take a wellearned break than their counterparts in places like France or Germany.

“The Government should follow the lead of the Scottish Government and announce a major reduction sooner rather than later,” he said.