Tax planes, not people to tackle climate change

12.00.00am GMT Mon 12th Mar 2007

Mike German has called for plane journeys to be taxed not passenger journeys - in a bid to end the farce of empty planes flying from Cardiff to London.

Tax planes, not people

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly leader entered the debate on the day that Gordon Brown and David Cameron set out proposals for green taxes - seven months after the Liberal Democrat Green switch proposals were published. News reports today revealed that an empty passenger jet is flying between Cardiff and Heathrow six times a week in order to retain a runway slot at the London airport.

Mr German said: "Neither Gordon Brown nor the Tory policy of taxing passengers would deal with this matter. We should tax the plane, so it would be senseless to send it empty. That's really making the Green Switch.

"Filling planes up is really important. The answer is taxing the plane rather than taxing the passenger journey. Only Liberal Democrats have the solution to the empty plane problem."

At their conference this weekend, Welsh Liberal Democrats also voted to scrap government subsidies to the North-South air link, which the Labour Government has just introduced between RAF Valley on Anglesey, and Cardiff International Airport.

"Members were very clear when it came to the vote. Government transport investment would be better spent on sustainable transport. That same cash spent on trains would help far more people than the air subsidy," Mr German added.