(Finance) – The AICALF – Italian Association of Low Fare Airlines expresses “amazement and disappointment for the text of the Budget Law transmitted to the Chambers which would pave the way for further ones increases in the municipal additional tax applicable to passengers departing from Italian airports”.
“Article 80 of the text in question – he explains Alessandro Fontipresident of AICALF – would allow in fact to some capital municipalities of metropolitan cities to increase the municipal surcharge up to an additional 3 euros per passenger. The recent discussions with representatives of the institutions and the declarations of authoritative representatives of this government regarding flight prices had made us to hope in measures in a diametrically opposite directionthat is, that this tax could be, if not canceled completely, at least revised downwards”.
“We remind you that the boarding charges are charges imposed on passengerswhich are collected by airlines by passing on fare amounts to the consumer. Italy is already one of the countries with the higher taxation on airline tickets and with this maneuver the cost of tickets for passengers would increase – in clear opposition to the Government’s recently declared objective of wanting to intervene to reduce flight prices”.
“Thinking of covering the deficits of some municipalities by increasing taxes on passengers is a mistake and would be counterproductive. Air transport is a driving force for the local economy and tourism and we therefore insist that the government intervenes instead to eliminate or at least reduce this tax, which depresses the development of demand for air transport and damages the competitiveness of Italian airports and tourist destinations compared to other European destinations”, concludes the association representing low cost air transport.