Letters to the Editor: It's time to bring in a climate tax at airports

It's time to bring in airport taxes, says a reader. Photo / File

Now is the time for airport taxes.

Parliament appointed a statutory commissioner to advise it on environmental issues.

The advice from commissioner Simon Upton last year was that the cost of overseas international flights to our national climate debt was just under $400 per person.

This is the average cost for us and future generations to compensate for the climate-warming effect of international flights by a New Zealander today.

Covid provided a hiatus in this international tourist travel. It is surely the opportune time to introduce a climate tax at airports that reflects the threat to our climate from flying.

Now is the time to address this issue.

Are Government and Opposition MPs asleep, or are they all quietly hoping to book a jolly overseas as soon as they can?

(Abridged)

Basil Graeme
Tauranga

Bryce got it right

Thank goodness for the rationale of Bryce Heard in his comment (Opinion, April 15).

Governments like it when the people forget the past, but I haven't forgotten when 35 years ago working for Housing Corp (a government department managing taxpayer-funded houses) began selling off state houses all over the country.

This might seem a long time ago, but it ignited and has perpetuated the problems we have now.

They were a gauge if you like, for housing. We need that back again big time.

A Bates
Rotorua

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