Tynwald updated on air passenger duty

The Isle of Man won't have to introduce the new higher rate of air passenger duty when the United Kingdom brings it in.

Treasury Minister Allan Bell told Tynwald there is no reciprocal agreement binding the Island to the tax on flights from Ronaldsway, but it has no control over those from elsewhere.

However, he admitted that since it was introduced locally and in the UK in 1994, the Island had kept its rates in line with increases across the water to ease the administrative burden on airlines.

He also made the point that increases in air passenger duty, set by the UK to go up by £1 next year and £1 the year after, had little impact on costs or passenger numbers (play attached audio file):

(Picture: Isle of Man Airport, at Ronaldsway).