Dutch Government confirms aspirations for new aviation tax by 2021

Rijksoverheid (Dutch National Government) announced (29-Jun-2018) the Cabinet is considering a new air passenger tax for introduction by 2021. The government launched an online consultation, open from 05-Jul-2018 to 05-Sep-2018, for suggestions on the structure of the tax. One of the structures suggests an EUR3.80 per passenger charge for services within Europe and EUR22 for intercontinental services. "This government wants to green the taxes and make the aviation sector more sustainable", Rijksoverheid stated. Cabinet will decide on the structure of the tax in autumn 2018 in a new bill. Rijksoverheid believes an aviation tax would have a "limited" effect on the economy, as capacity restrictions at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport mean "that airlines will be able to raise their prices and make extra profit in the future... When introducing a tax on aviation, they can use this extra profit to pay the tax to a significant extent". [more - original PR - Dutch]