AGAINST THE ‘ECOTAX’
[BIZ: Maastricht, February 8] “When Dutch parliament approved this particular law we had no choice but to go to court” said Sander Heijmans, Commercial Director of Maastricht Aachen Airport. He continues: “We are glad Ryanair supports the case as well and has decided to join us, this is a clear sign that the aviation industry objects to the plans and makes the case even stronger”. The case will be presented in a court hearing in The Hague on March 5. Ryanair and Maastricht Aachen Airport object to the tax as it conflicts with the agreements Chicago Convention and the fact that transfer passengers are excluded from the tax. Speaking today, David Gering Ryanair's Manager Benelux said: “This tax is bad news for Dutch consumers and the Dutch economy and will do nothing for the environment. Ryanair carries hundreds of thousands passengers every year to The Netherlands who spend money and stimulate local and national economy. The Dutch Government’s travel tax would add 25% to the cost of the average Ryanair flight while exempting fat cat passengers taking transit flights through Schiphol. He continues: “This is penalizing the ordinary passengers who are flying modern aircraft on Ryanair’s environmentally efficient direct flights, while exempting those who take two connecting flights through the Netherlands on older gas guzzling aircraft. Sander Heijmans: “We have already seen one airline pull out due to the tax and Ryanair has put expansion at Maastricht Aachen Airport on hold. Obviously the tax puts us in a difficult competitive situation compared to German and Belgian airports close-by. Such airports will benefit as regional residents will simply opt for an airport without the extra tax. The Dutch Government apparently fails to see the effects the tax will have on the country will be far worse than the EUR 350m it is supposed to raise”.
Ryanair has announced that it is going to join Maastricht Aachen Airport (MAA) in its court case against the Dutch government. The subject of the lawsuit is the much debated “ecotax” which will be introduced on July 1, 2008. The tax is in violation with European law, and contradicting international aviation agreements signed by the Netherlands. Presented as a tax to compensate CO2 emissions from aviation, not a single euro of the EUR 350 million the government hopes to raise will directly benefit the environment. Rather the tax revenues are used to cover a general budget deficit.
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