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Transport Secretary Assured EasyJet that Green Taxes Would Not Be Levied

easyjet

Newly released documents show that Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, assured EasyJet that airlines would not face green tax levies.

The assurances were made just six months before the company was handed a coronavirus crisis bailout without any environmental conditions attached.

Unearthed, Greenpace’s investigative unit, revealed the extent of the lobbying against environmental taxes by EasyJet via the Freedom of Information Act.

The details of the lobbying was compiled by Greenpeace, Carbon Market Watch, and Transport & Environment, and comes as European airlines are set to receive over £22.7bn in taxpayer funds with no environmental conditions attached.

Shapps met with the boss of EasyJet, Johan Lundgren, shortly after being appointed transport secretary in 2019. Shapps reassured the CEO that the Department for Transport would have a pro-aviation stance.

Lundgren criticised the green taxes on airlines being planned by the Netherlands, and Shapps ‘agreed this was not a way forward’.

EU institutions have been discussing taxing the aviation industry for greenhouse gas emissions, with taxes on fuel and departing passengers being discussed, as well as charging airlines directly for their emissions.

Lundgren says that EasyJet will set up its own green targets, involving ‘gold standard’ carbon offsetting. He also said that his company was looking into developing electric flights.

EasyJet was given a £600m bailout from the government earlier this month on Lundgren’s request. Campaigners are lamenting the lack of any environmental conditions to the loan, saying that an opportunity was missed.

Climate campaigner at Greenpeace, Fiona Nicholls, said: “Carbon offsetting will not clean up aviation’s carbon emissions, just create the illusion it does. EasyJet is peddling snake oil and it’s shocking that the secretary of state seems so willing to buy it.

“A green levy on frequent flyers offers the UK a fair more effective way of tackling the sector’s huge impact on our planet. Rather than dismissing the case out of hand, Grant Shapps needs to look again and take this moment to promote a measure that will genuinely have an impact on the climate emergency.”

An EasyJet spokesperson said: “We recognise we have a responsibility to minimise the impact of our flights and so are focused on both operating efficiently now, and on the development of electric aircraft in the future. Since the technological solution is not yet available, in the interim we offset the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all of our flights on behalf of all of our customers.

“We have always said that taxing passengers is not the right approach, as this provides no incentives for airlines to improve the carbon efficiency of their flying, it simply acts as a revenue raiser for governments. The way for aviation to address climate change is to invest in new technology; a tax will simply reduce the funds available to airlines for investment, while only having a very marginal effect on emissions.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “Aviation contributes around £14bn to the economy and creates half a million jobs. It is only right that we champion this sector, while continuing our work to make UK aviation the cleanest and greenest in the world.

“The sector must play its part in reaching the UK’s net zero by 2050 target. That’s why we are working with industry to develop new technologies, fuels to cut emissions and are taking a leading role driving international action for the sector.”

Harry Pererra
Harry Pererra

Harry turns on his experience in journalism and programming to write about the latest news in the world of tech and the environemtn. When he isn’t writing for usave he is working towards his Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and prefers dogs to cats.

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