• Taxes,  Transportation

    EU Airlines Green Tax Watch: £27 Green Tax on Long flights

    TimesOnLine: American fury at plan to charge £27 green tax on long flights

    AIRLINE passengers would pay up to £27 extra for a return ticket to cover the environmental damage caused by their flights, under European Commission proposals to address climate change.

    Draft legislation to be published next month would require all flights arriving or departing from European Union airports to buy permits to cover their carbon dioxide emissions.

    The document, a copy of which has been obtained by The Times, says that airlines would join Europe’s emissions trading scheme by 2011 and predicts that they would pass on the costs to their passengers.

    The report estimates that passengers on flights within Europe would pay an extra €9 (£6) for a ticket, with the actual sum depending on the price of the permits. Those flying long haul would pay up to €39.60 (£27).

    This will infuriate the United States and many other countries because it would affect all flights into and out of Europe, regardless of their origin or destination. US airlines would have to buy permits to cover their emissions on their European routes.

    Trade War.

    One that the European Union with their heavily subsidized airlines will lose.

    But, hey, Europeans will either have to impose higher taxes or import more Muslim immigrants to pay for their economically failing economies. The EU’s decline will be exacerbated by this move.

    Flap’s guess is that after the ruination of their tourism industry from the United States there will be some reconsideration/recapitulation.

    Captain Ed has EU To Put Green Tax On Intercontinental Flights

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    European Air Fares “To Double” As a Result of Green Tax

  • Taxes,  Transportation

    European Air Fares “To Double” As a Result of Green Tax

    Timesonline: Air fares ‘to double’ as Europe votes for green tax

    AIR passengers will be charged up to £40 extra for a return ticket within Europe to pay for the environmental impact of their journeys, under plans approved by the European Parliament yesterday.

    MEPs voted in favour of the “immediate introduction” of a tax on jet fuel for flights within the 25 member states of the EU. The charge would double the cost of millions of budget airline flights.

    The MEPs said that the scheme should cover all flights arriving at or departing from EU airports rather than just intra-EU flights, as had been proposed by BA. But the scheme is likely to be limited to flights within Europe in the early years to avoid legal challenges from the United States and other countries. MEPs also accepted the proposal for a separate environmental tax to cover the impact of nitrogen oxides and condensation trails emitted by aircraft.

    The Europeans sure know how to kill their tourism business.

    Oh well, better business for the United States and certainly for Boeing.


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  • California,  Politics,  Transportation

    Orange Line Busway Watch: US 101 Commuting Speeds Improved

    The Los Angeles Daily News has 101 speeds ramped up since busway opened

    The popular Metro Orange Line busway across the San Fernando Valley might be helping to ease traffic congestion on the Ventura Freeway during the morning commute.

    The first attempt to gauge the busway’s impact on freeway volume found a slight improvement in the morning commute.

    Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley studied commutes since the 14-mile Orange Line opened Oct. 29 and determined that traffic between 7 and 10 a.m. had sped up about 7 percent – from an average of 43 mph to 46 mph.

    The study also found that the amount of time that morning commuters waste being stuck in congestion – defined as traffic slower than 35 mph – declined about 14 percent.

    “The freeway is operating more efficiently,” said Hamed Benouar, director of the California Center for Innovative Transportation at Berkeley, which is primarily funded by the California Department of Transportation and conducts research for other government organizations.

    Flap has always preferred to see a light rail system parallel to the 101. Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Baxter Ward’s plan to place monorail trains above the freeways comes to mind.

    But, any improvement in commute times will be much appreciated.

    The busway now handles about 16,400 passenger boardings a day, much higher than the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s initial estimates of 5,000 to 7,000 daily boardings. Officials don’t know how many of the Orange Line riders used to drive the freeway.

    Now, do something about widening the freeways, making the HOV lanes available to all drivers during non-peak hours and inproving efficiency of freeway interchanges………

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