Germany’s former transportation minister (and a current senior legislator) wants to implement a price floor on certain flights. The legislator, Alexander Dobrindt, wants to essentially prevent low-cost-carriers from being able to charge low prices and encourage would-be flyers to take the train instead.
This tax of sorts would target just the shortest flights since it would be applicable on flights up to 50 Euros. All of this is in the name of environmental impact.
For instance, EasyJet offers at least six daily flights between Berlin and Cologne — but that trip can easily be taken by a high speed, premium train in about four hours. By instituting a price floor, Dobrindt would probably want the price of the EasyJet ticket price to be at least to the same as the train, if not higher.
“I want climate protection instead of predatory pricing,” Dobrindt told the German tabloid Bild. “There should be a price floor on flying and railroads need a value-added tax reduction.”
However, it is predicted that Dobrindt’s proposal likely won’t fly. His Christian Social Union party has an aversion to tax increases. Also, a tax like this would make flying potentially out of reach for the those that could barely afford it to begin with. Bloomberg has a great opinion piece with more about how this tax would or wouldn’t work.
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