Regardless of your destination, soon you will end up spending more per ticket due to the new flight tax that the Dutch government plans on implementing. The Netherlands used to tax flights, however, this tax was abolished a year after it was implemented in 2008, as it did not result in a great deal of profit, money or environmental wise.

No more flying tax-free

Currently, if you take a flight from the Netherlands you don’t pay tax on it; something which Finance State Secretary Menno Snel finds odd, as train, bus and car travel are taxed. The government is now planning on introducing a tax of 7 euros per flight ticket, regardless of the destination, and taxes for noisy and polluting aircrafts.

Previously, different tax rates for European and intercontinental flights were considered; however, such a proposal was dismissed for being too complex. Taxes in the said proposal were 3,8 euros for European flights and 22 euros for intercontinental flights.

The new plane ticket tax proposal has been sent to the Council of State and, if all goes to plan, it will be implemented in 2021. Should a European-wide flight tax be actualised, the current Dutch flight tax plan will lapse.

What is the purpose of the plane ticket tax?

The Dutch government wants to implement the proposed tax to help reduce the damage to the environment and climate caused by the aviation industry. However, research commissioned by the government shows that the tax will be little to no help for this goal and will not have a large impact on consumer choices.

Natuur & Milieu, a Dutch environmental organisation, is not entirely satisfied with the outcome. Director of Natuur & Milieu, Marjolein Demmers, states: “We are happy with the implementation of a flight tax, however, such a small amount will, of course, have little effect on climate, noise pollution or public health”.

According to Demmers, if you were to tax flight tickets fairly, they would be 35 percent more expensive than they are now. The Dutch Airline Pilots Association (VNV) also has its qualms with the new tax measure, calling it an “ineffective measure”. In the near future, tickets will become more expensive anyway, in part due to the scarce capacity at Schiphol.