Sir, – According to the CSO, in 2024, €720 million in revenue was foregone due to excise duty exemption for jet kerosene. However, the EU Energy Taxation Directive mandates that all commercial international flights are exempt from excise duties.
In addition, jet kerosene is exempt from VAT. It is well known that air travel is a growing source of emissions adding to global warming.
It is unfair that motorists driving fossil fuel powered vehicles must pay excise duties and 23 per cent VAT for fuel while airlines are given a free pass. Having a car to drive to work is essential for many people but equally air travel for leisure is not essential.
It is time to redress this excise duty imbalance and for excise duty and VAT to apply to airlines. It is almost inevitable that airlines would in turn pass these charges on in the form of higher air fares.
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Irish members of the European Parliament should take a lead to make a case for the ending of this fossil fuel subsidy for airlines.
This would end up as a fairer system of allocating excise duty and VAT and would be likely to reduce emissions generated by airlines because of the negative impact of higher air fares on demand. – Yours, etc,
MARK FOX,
Shankill,
Dublin 18.
