France has no intention of further increasing the "solidarity tax" on airline tickets, its transport ministry said on Tuesday, adding that current discussions on the sidelines of COP30 aim to "encourage other countries" to use such mechanisms to finance sustainable development.
France, Barbados and Kenya launched a working group in 2023 advocating for taxes on affluent air passengers, with the aim of supporting poorer nations in their response to climate change.
At UN climate summit in Brazil (COP30), which runs until 21 November, these countries are now trying to expand the coalition of about ten nations that want to commit to more specifically taxing luxury air travel, a source told French news agency AFP.
These commitments should be clarified during COP30 or later, depending on how the talks progress, according to the same source, who said the goal was to "grow the coalition and, in particular, bring in more European states."
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Since March, France has introduced an increased tax on air travel by tripling the "solidarity tax" on airline tickets (TSBA). This led to an extra cost of €4.77 per ticket for domestic or European flights departing from France, and up to €120 per long-haul business-class journey.
Private aviation has also been affected by this tax hike, with an increase ranging from €207.37 to €2,097.37 per passenger on board.
Financing development
Launched in 2006 on the initiative of then-French President Jacques Chirac, in coordination with other countries, this tax was originally intended to finance development.
It has been raised several times and now also contributes to France’s infrastructure financing agency and the general state budget.
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According to the French transport ministry, the current discussions at COP30 will not lead to any further increase in this contribution: "France has no intention of raising the TSBA," the ministry said Tuesday.
These reflections aim to encourage other countries "to use the TSBA mechanism to help finance sustainable development goals in the Global South,” the same source explained.
(with AFP)
