Should government tax air traffic more heavily?

It goes without saying that environmental problems are among the most dilemma challenges people are struggling with in recent decades. One of the main causes that apparently leads to more noise, pollution and airport construction is air traffic, which is believed to result from low-cost passenger flights to holiday destinations. A commonly suggested solution is taxing air traffic more heavily. From a personal point of view, I would partly agree with the idea.

The previously mentioned measure for air traffic has two aspects that should be taken into consideration: advantages and disadvantages. In terms of advantages, more heavy taxation can gradually reduce the demand of people who are currently using cheap flights. Declining number of air transport would positively lead to a decreasing trend in noise and air pollution. In addition, land pollution in the holiday destinations also probably is mitigated. As a result, this intervention of governments in taxation policy can practically put the air traffic issue into an acceptable level.

To have a comprehensive view of this problem, let shift our attention to the drawback side: the possible negative effects on the economy and the development of global tourism. Firstly, the fundamental purpose of low-cost passenger flights is to help the governments meet the various travelling needs of people from all walks of life. In other words, it primarily eases our transporting difficulties thanks to a range of affordable prices. This provides a significant tool in stimulating the enhancement of tourism service industry of every nations. However, strict taxation policy on air transport obviously discourage people to travel due to higher prices which is the result of higher taxes. In short, this bring the disadvantage for the economy.

In conclusion, the way to reduce air traffic by taxing it more heavily have both positive and negative effects for every countries. Whether it should be applied and how it is put in practice varies between nations with their intention and estimation. Much considerations are needed to decide the level of the new tax.