US threatens Britain with legal action over airline taxes

Source: Daily Telegraph - UK

Gordon Brown is embroiled in a major diplomatic row with the United States over controversial plans for new airline taxes which could see British families paying £400 extra for transatlantic flights.
>
An official letter sent by the US Embassy to the British Government - which has been leaked to The Daily Telegraph - reveals the Americans have "deep concerns with the proposal". They threaten the Treasury with legal action over the planned tax increase.

Ministers are planning to sharply increase the amount of money raised from airline taxes in a move that will net an extra £520 million annually.

Airlines - already struggling to deal with record fuel prices - calculate that the tax per person on a flight to America or other long-haul destinations will rise from £40 to about £100 from next year. The levy will be passed on to passengers.


Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/2085184/US-threatens-Britain-with-legal-action-over-airline-taxes.html

---

Darling intends to tax flights rather than passengers. Yes - I appreciate the passengers will land up paying anyway but it wil remove the oddity of apparently cheap flights being advertised.

Did they already forget what happened when they passed the Stamp Act?

to launch such a detailed attack on a domestic British policy."

Apparently, they have little experience with the Bush misadministration. Whatever gave them the idea that they could set their own tax policies?

...and we really, really need those plane-loads of British tourist dollars you've been sending us. Mess with that and we might forget you're our closest ally. Love, George."