Posted: 5/22/2003 8:46:21 AM EDT
[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3048515.stm[/url] While motorists in Britain pay a princely sum for petrol, the great gas guzzlers that fill our skies get a much better deal.
Despite millions of litres of aviation fuel being burned in the skies every day, none of it is taxed, meaning the airlines are in an enviable position compared to motorists. View Quote My reply: All taxes and fines are revenue generating measures. No matter the stated justifications for the fine, the money all goes one place - government bank accounts. There is a certain segment of the population that wants to use taxes and fines as "behavior modification" methods. In this case, I would hazard a guess that there is some group that would actually benefit from reduced air travel, or simply objects to it on environmental grounds. I can't imagine a benefit to taxes aviation fuel. In the United States, the air transport business has been bad for years, and it is now to a point where there is talk of the Federal Government subsidizing the private airlines, and in the extreme, federalizing the airlines altogether. Now why would the government tax something that it is giving money to? It doesn't make sense. View Quote
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