French president sets out case for extra tax on air tickets

Airline Industry Information, July 27, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

French President Jacques Chirac has written a letter to more than 140 world leaders, in which he calls for an extra tax to be added to airline tickets to fund additional aid for Africa.

The proposal has been raised several times in recent months but has not yet won widespread support.

Chirac said in the letter that an "international solidarity contribution" on flight tickets could be used in particular for financing the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

The president told the World Economic Forum in January 2005 that a tax of USD1 per airline ticket could raise USD10bn a year.

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