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United approach to APD tax welcomed
Monday, June 27, 2011
LONDON, UK (CMC) — A British legislator says the Caribbean’s united position on the controversial Airline Passenger Duty (APD) should serve as a reminder of what could achieve when there is unity among the Caribbean community in the United Kingdom (UK).
Conservative Member of Parliament, Julian Smith told Caribbean Question Time here that the lobbying efforts by Caribbean in the UK are likely to solve the problem of the inequality of the tax measure.
The APD is an excise duty paid by airline passengers travelling from UK airports. The tax is levied according to groups of countries and by the class of travel used.
Caribbean governments have lobbied against various anomalies in the APD noting that the flights to the Caribbean attract a higher tax than flights to destinations that are much further away, such as the United States.
Britain’s Finance Minister George Osborne, in May, announced the launch of a consultation on the APD “to achieve a tax system for aviation that is fair, simple, and efficient”.
The consultation period, which ended June 17, considered the views and evidence submitted by interested stakeholders.
The consultation document made it clear that any restructuring of APD will be achieved on a revenue-neutral basis.
Former Labour Member of Parliament for Brent, Dawn Butler, who also addressed the meeting of Caribbean nationals, urged them to remain vigilant, noting that while changes to the APD may solve the issues of inequality, the duty could prove to be even more expensive.
Other issues raised during the meeting included the planned increase in tuition fees for universities and its likely impact on black students; the effects of new UK immigration regulations on Caribbean nationals; and increasing the political influence of the UK Caribbean community.
On the issue of education, Chaplin to the Speaker in the House of Representatives, Rev Rose Hudson Wilkins, said the community needs to take more responsibility for educating their children and make “serious sacrifices” for their welfare.
She also called on business owners in the community to do more to provide scholarships, work experience and internships for young people.
Caribbean Question Time is a series of meetings organised by the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), and provides an avenue for Caribbean nationals in the UK to dialogue with their political representatives.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1QW4a2exs
Monday, June 27, 2011
LONDON, UK (CMC) — A British legislator says the Caribbean’s united position on the controversial Airline Passenger Duty (APD) should serve as a reminder of what could achieve when there is unity among the Caribbean community in the United Kingdom (UK).
Conservative Member of Parliament, Julian Smith told Caribbean Question Time here that the lobbying efforts by Caribbean in the UK are likely to solve the problem of the inequality of the tax measure.
The APD is an excise duty paid by airline passengers travelling from UK airports. The tax is levied according to groups of countries and by the class of travel used.
Caribbean governments have lobbied against various anomalies in the APD noting that the flights to the Caribbean attract a higher tax than flights to destinations that are much further away, such as the United States.
Britain’s Finance Minister George Osborne, in May, announced the launch of a consultation on the APD “to achieve a tax system for aviation that is fair, simple, and efficient”.
The consultation period, which ended June 17, considered the views and evidence submitted by interested stakeholders.
The consultation document made it clear that any restructuring of APD will be achieved on a revenue-neutral basis.
Former Labour Member of Parliament for Brent, Dawn Butler, who also addressed the meeting of Caribbean nationals, urged them to remain vigilant, noting that while changes to the APD may solve the issues of inequality, the duty could prove to be even more expensive.
Other issues raised during the meeting included the planned increase in tuition fees for universities and its likely impact on black students; the effects of new UK immigration regulations on Caribbean nationals; and increasing the political influence of the UK Caribbean community.
On the issue of education, Chaplin to the Speaker in the House of Representatives, Rev Rose Hudson Wilkins, said the community needs to take more responsibility for educating their children and make “serious sacrifices” for their welfare.
She also called on business owners in the community to do more to provide scholarships, work experience and internships for young people.
Caribbean Question Time is a series of meetings organised by the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), and provides an avenue for Caribbean nationals in the UK to dialogue with their political representatives.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1QW4a2exs