Effective this month, Sweden has introduced a new aviation tax, intended to offset the industry’s carbon footprint.
The new aviation tax will add an extra charge to all passenger flights from the country, according to AFP. The fee ranges from $7 to $49 (60 – 400 krona or 6 – 39 euros) per passenger, depending on the flight’s destination.
“The objective of the tax is to minimize the carbon footprint of flights following a sharp increase in air travel,” climate minister and Greens spokeswoman Isabella Lovin wrote in Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
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According to a study published in the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, 53 percent of Swedes surveyed were in the favor of the new tax. The tax will apply to everyone except babes in arms, flight crews, passengers stopping over without changing planes and—in some circumstances—those in transit to take another flight.
The aviation industry produces from 3% to 8% of the world’s emissions, according to the GAO. The opposition Centre party has criticized the move, calling for airlines to be required to use a percentage of biofuels.
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According to Business Insider Nordic, Sweden’s government expects the tax to lead to 450,000–600,000 fewer airline passengers per year.
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Analyst Jacob Pedersen of Danish bank Sydbank said the tax will be good for Danish aviation, as airlines could avoid Sweden and Norway, which now both have similar taxes.
Eco-friendly Aviation Tax Introduced in Sweden, written by Tor Kjolberg