Aloun Assamba, Jamaica’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, has welcomed Wednesday’s announcement of an adjustment to the Air Passenger Duty (APD) for visitors traveling to the region, describing it as an appropriate response to extensive lobbying efforts.
This development was announced by George Osbourne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his annual budget presentation to the House of Commons earlier in the day.
"Very heartened"
The Jamaican High Commissioner, in a direct response to queries from RJR News, said she was “very heartened” by the changes, which will see the UK changing the APD Band for long haul destinations, including the Caribbean, from Band C to Band B.
“Caribbean High Commissioners and Tourism Ministers have been lobbying for this to be done for over four years. It was argued that this was discriminatory to the Caribbean which is the most Tourism dependent region in the world,” she noted.
The change will also be good news for members of the Diaspora, as well, the High Commissioner Assamba, added, “as they have not been able to take as many trips home with their families because of this tax.”
Same band as USA
The adjustments made to the APD means that the Caribbean has been put into the same band for the duty as the United States. This means that passengers traveling from Britain to Caribbean destinations will now pay the lower rate of duty, which has long applied to those traveling to the United States.
Under the adjusted policy, economy class passengers will pay a £71 tax on all long-haul tickets and a £142 charge on seats in premium cabins. This will be significantly down from the equivalent rates this year of up to £97 in economy and £194 in premium class.
The Chancellor conceded that the existing system is “crazy”, highlighting the fact that passengers currently pay less for travelling to Hawaii than to China or India.
.jpg)
All feeds
