Stevenson Welcomes New Milestone Towards Air Passenger Duty Reform

Stewart Stevenson, SNP MSP for Banffshire & Buchan Coast, has welcomed the first meeting of the Scottish APD stakeholder forum today (Thursday) chaired by Deputy First Minister John Sweeney and Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown.

The meeting is part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to cutting APD by 50 per cent during the lifetime of the next parliament. There will also be a policy consultation launched on Scottish APD this autumn.

Last year the Smith Commission recommended that power to control APD should be devolved to Holyrood via the Scotland Bill, which is currently being considered at Westminster.

Mr Stevenson said:

“APD has long put Scotland at a disadvantage by stifling the country’s tourism industry. Other European countries have already abolished this tax, and the money lost by doing this would be paid back through the tourist and business sectors, stimulating growth in the Scottish economy.

“This development today is good news and one step closer to reducing and ultimately getting rid of this tax, but we do need the powers to do this to be passed on by Westminster – for the benefit of people in Scotland.”

The APD stakeholder forum brings together interested parties – from those in the aviation industry to environmental groups and tax practitioners – to provide expert input into how a replacement tax could work.