Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Oxfam, the not-for-profit campaigning on poverty and sustainability issues, has called on the UK government to introduce new luxury taxes on owners and users of private jets and super yachts. In a report published on Wednesday, the group said that up to £2 billion ($2.6 billion) could be used to fund work in “communities suffering the worst impacts of climate change.”
The pressure for new wealth taxes comes as the UK’s new Labour government prepares to introduce its first budget in October. In the face of depleted public finances, the new administration is widely expected to increase tax burdens in several areas, while keeping an election pledge not to increase the income tax base rates or the UK equivalent of social security. It is also expected that the budget may target high-net-worth individuals in one way or another.
According to Oxfam, up to £830 million could have been raised last year if the previous Conservative government had introduced a proposed higher rate of air passenger duty (APD) on private jet flights and an ownership tax on super yachts. Its <a href="https://oxfam.app.box.com/s/vbpfoh835uikfr75r01ivh7n1iudrnj8">research</a>&nbsp;pointed to an additional £1.2 billion in revenues that could be raised by taxing fuel for business aircraft, imposing a 20% value-added tax (VAT) on private aviation, and charging additional fees for private jet landing and departure slots.
<h2>New Taxes On Flights, Fuel, and Slots</h2>
The Oxfam report maintained that between £300 million and £470 million could be raised through a higher rate of APD than the current levy for first and business-class airline fares proposed last year by the Campaign for Better Transport. The group said that taxing jet-A fuel for private jets would raise between £69 million and £231 million, with a further £384 million to £649 million to be levied through charging VAT, and between £192 million and £325 million from taxes on airport slots. It is also targeting between £282 million and £360 million through a new tax on ownership of super yachts.
In fact, under the UK's current APD system, business aircraft weighing more than 20 tonnes and with fewer than 19 passenger seats are already subject to a higher rate that is between six and 11 times higher than is paid by airline passengers. For non-commercial flights in the UK, private aircraft operators pay duties of 5% on uplifts of up to 2,300 liters and 20% for larger uplifts.
VAT is already charged by airports for services, as well as for landing and other airfield fees. It also applies to the European Union's emissions trading scheme (ETS), where applicable to operators.
The report cited figures from the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) indicating that there were 207,848 business aircraft movements in 2023. Of these, 6% of flights were for medical purposes or other special missions, and 1.6% were for government or military use.
Calls for new taxes on high-net-worth individuals are gaining momentum in other European countries and also in Brazil. In April 2024, Oxfam joined two other pressure groups, Avaaz and WeMoveEurope in calling on the European Parliament to accept the proposals of the <a href="https://citizens-initiative.europa.eu/initiatives/details/2023/000006_en">Citizens Initiative for a European Wealth Tax</a>. A protest outside the parliament building in Brussels included a large inflatable business jet as a symbol of alleged excess wealth.
<h2>Industry Groups Push Back against Tax Threats</h2>
The British Business &amp; General Aviation Association firmly refuted the basis for Oxfam's tax proposals. "We have read the Oxfam statements and the sources for their claims. Unfortunately, we find the statements to be factually incorrect and we welcome further open dialogue with Oxfam and others so that the business and general aviation industry can be properly and fairly represented," said the group's chair, Aoife O'Sullivan. "Private aircraft, their users, and the industry that serves private aviation are all subject to tax in the UK in the normal way. It is simply untrue to say otherwise."
According to EBAA, new taxes on business aviation would be ineffective in reducing carbon emissions from flying. "While we share the urgency in addressing climate change, we have concerns that the proposed tax measures may not effectively achieve the desired environmental outcomes, and could have unintended consequences," the Brussels-based group said in a written statement.
EBAA pointed out that business aviation is already subject to several taxes and charges, including airport and airspace use fees, and specific environmental levies under the ETS and CORSIA carbon reduction program. It argued that higher taxes could diminish efforts to introduce technology aimed at reducing aviation's environmental footprint, as well as making Europe's business aviation industry less competitive.
Earlier this month, EBAA and the General Aviation Manufacturers Association published a <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-09-09/business-aviation-groups-seek-european-leaders-support">joint policy manifesto</a> calling for European governments to more positively support its efforts to decarbonize the industry. The groups advocated for actions such as including book-and-claim processes for sustainable aviation fuel carbon offsets in the European Commission's ReFuelEU regulation.

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