Earlier today, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, announced, “Fuel duty will be cut by 5p per litre until March 2023.” The Isle of Man Government subsequently announced that it would replicate the cut here in the Isle of Man. This is a step in the right direction.
The Isle of Man Government should now go ahead and take appropriate steps to extend the UK Government’s cut on aircraft passenger duty to flights to the Isle of Man. This would help families re-uniting after the pandemic, and help promote Manx business: both by being more cheaply connected to the rest of the world, and by enabling tourists to visit the Isle of Man more cheaply.
“A London tourist doesn’t need to pay the full regressive aircraft passenger duty if they are flying to Devon, Aberdeen or Belfast – but that tourist does need to pay the full rate of tax if they are flying to Ronaldsway. The Isle of Man Government should take steps to fix this, and give a boost to Manx families and Manx businesses struggling with the cost of living,” said Michael Josem of the Manx TaxPayers’ Alliance.
Last month, the Manx TaxPayers’ Alliance published a list of a dozen positive policy proposals to help ease the squeeze on the cost of living on the Isle of Man.