Dutch gov't to implement €7 flight tax per ticket, regardless of destination

The Dutch government wants to implement a flight tax of 7 euros per plane ticket, regardless of the destination. The government previously considered a tax of 3.80 euros for flights within Europe and 22 euros for intercontinental flights, but opted for a fixed amount to make the Tax Authority's job easier, sources in The Hague confirmed to NU.nl after reports in RTL Nieuws.

The flight tax will be introduced in 2021. There will also be a tax for polluting and noisy aircraft. Last month Schiphol also announced that it intends to charge higher tariffs for polluting planes.

While the flight tax is being implemented for environmental purposes, the government does not expect that it will lead to much less demand for air travel. Tickets will become more expensive in the near future, partly due to the scarce capacity at Schiphol. With the additional profit airports will make as a result, they will likely take the tax for their own account to a large extent.

A study previously done by CE Delft on behalf of the Ministry of Finance into ten different types of aviation tax showed that in all cases 95 percent of travelers will continue to fly from a Dutch airport. It also showed that the alternatives the other 5 percent will choose are not necessarily more environmentally friendly. If travelers opt for an airport abroad, the problem just moves and isn't solve. Detours with a car also cause extra pollution.

The Netherlands also implemented a flight tax in 2008, but abolished it a year later because the measure did not yield much money or environmental benefits.