Labour green tax plans would add £200 to the cost of a family break due to air fair

LABOUR plans a new “holiday tax” that would add £200-plus to the cost of a family break.

Senior MPs want to hit flyers with green charges that could double air fares.

The main weapon would be a rise in air passenger duty that already adds £81 to an average household’s summer holiday bill.

A new frequent-flyer tax and ending the duty-free status of flights and airport shopping are other options being discussed.

A £238 flight would rocket to £505 if all the measures are introduced, pricing many families out of a holiday completely.

Treasury minister Robert Jenrick said the last Labour government tripled air passenger duty and any new tax would “hammer hard-working families and prevent them from enjoying their chance to go abroad”.

Shadow Treasury minister Clive Lewis wants to load taxes on to lifestyles that he claims are destroying the environment.

He favours a rising tax on frequent flyers to “control and push down demand for flights” and has told MPs: “The price of air travel does not reflect the environmental damage caused.

“Duty-free fuel, airline tickets, planes, parts, repairs and fuel are all zero-rated for VAT, alongside baby clothes and wheelchairs.”

James Roberts of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “We already have the steepest air taxes in Europe. Labour have got this completely wrong.”

Asked about the tax plans, a Labour spokesman said last night: “This isn’t party policy.”