Air passenger duty has been increased in Britain, with activists asserting that the tax will add hundreds of pounds to the cost of hardworking families’ yearly getaway. The UK air passenger duty rise signifies that the persons purchasing tickets from April 1 will incur a new increased air passenger duty levy on flights exiting Britain. The UK air passenger duty rise was confirmed by the Chancellor George Osborne in the Budget. Notwithstanding impassioned lobbying from the UK aviation industry, the air passenger duty on long-haul flights has heightened by £2 much to the chagrin of public who treat it as common means of transport.

The tax on short-haul flights, however, remains at £13. Air passenger duty had increased in Britain by 8% in 2012. The British Treasury has previously remarked that it intends to keep future hikes in line with inflationary trends.

The UK air passenger duty increase has been interpreted as a controversial move, with the tax set to increase 3.6% year-on-year, accumulating €3.4 billion in 2013-2014 up to €4.5 billion by 2017-2018. The contentious tax has been annulled in some other European nations.

Due to the UK air passenger duty hike, a family of four flying in the economy class to Florida will now shell out £268 in air passenger duty. A family of four voyaging to the Caribbean islands will pay £332. The movement, A Fair Tax on Flying, had produced information, which displayed that more than 200,000 persons contacted their MP over the issue of the UK air passenger duty hike.

There are four levels of the UK air passenger tax increase, depending on the distance of the flight. Band A (0-2000 miles) consists of £13 while Band B (2001-4000 miles) contains £67. Band C (4001-6000 miles) contains £83 while Band D (6000 miles+) consists of £94.

The CEO of the British Air Transport Association, Simon Buck, has uttered that the Coalition has distressed hardworking British families with the UK air passenger tax hike. Many British families will have to shell out hundreds of pounds in air passenger duty on their yearly getaway. As per Simon Buck, evidence shows that the UK air passenger duty hike damages the economy and inserts hundreds of pounds into the yearly tax bill of many families, who fly overseas every year.