Local businesses are joining the call for the Isle of Man Government to lower aircraft passenger duty in line with the reductions announced across this week.
In Wednesday’s United Kingdom’s Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 by UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak, the UK Government announced that flights between airports in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will, from April 2023, be subject to a new lower rate of Air Passenger Duty. This risks excluding flights to and from Ronaldsway, unless the Isle of Man Government takes action to protect Manx interests.
Jan Wozniak, director of local travel agency Freedom Travel, spoke with Manx Radio, calling on the Isle of Man Government to follow the United Kingdom’s changes. Endorsing calls to lower the Isle of Man Government’s tax on air travel, Wozniak said, “I think it would be a way forward… any help they can do with matching or reducing further would be a help to our sector.”
Reducing aircraft passenger duty on flights to and from the Isle of Man would offer benefits across the Isle of Man economy, as travel is an important input cost for many businesses and families.