Environmental campaign group Possible is calling on the U.K. government to put an end to what it describes as a major unfairness in the tax system: the generous tax breaks given to private jet users, Air Quality News reported.
The group has written to the Chancellor ahead of the Autumn Budget, urging him to close loopholes that allow private jet passengers to avoid the taxes ordinary drivers and commercial airline passengers pay.
Currently, private jet flights are exempt from fuel tax and VAT, and in many cases, they also skip paying the government's Air Passenger Duty (APD), a small tax charged on flights leaving the U.K.
Possible has argued that this means someone driving to work pays more tax on their journey than a billionaire taking a private jet flight that can cost 10,000 British pounds ($13,100) an hour.
This campaign is timely and newsworthy because the government has promised to raise the APD rate for private jets by 50% in 2026-27, but campaigners say that's still far too low.
Even after the increase, a private jet passenger will only pay 142 pounds ($186) for a journey up to 2,000 miles, a tiny sum compared to the overall cost of the trip. To make matters worse, three-quarters of private jet passengers don't pay this higher rate at all, enjoying the same low rate as premium economy travellers or paying nothing whatsoever.
In a letter to the treasury, Possible outlined several potential changes, including a much larger APD increase for private jets, closing the loophole that lets many avoid APD, creating a "super-high" APD band for the most polluting jets, and introducing a kerosene tax specifically for private jet fuel.
The group says these measures could raise hundreds of millions of pounds for public services while also tackling climate change.
The campaign argues that the government needs to stop giving the super-rich a free ride, saying, "It's time for this government to realise that the public won't tolerate one rule for the rich and another for everyone else."
By shining a light on this lavish perk, Possible hopes to spark fairer policies that reward cleaner travel choices and protect both people and the planet.
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