U.S. Chamber Applauds law Protecting U.S. Civil Aviation from EU Tax Scheme

28 Nov, 2012

U.S. President Barack Obama has signed S. 1956, the “European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011,” which the U.S. Chamber believes is a step in the right direction. The chamber would also like to see the U.S. administration take the steps to present its case to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

The act says to the European Union that imposing a unilateral tax scheme on the U.S. civil aviation industry will not be tolerated.

“We applaud the administration for recognizing that the EU’s unilateral emissions tax on U.S. civil aviation is unacceptable,” says Alex Herrgott, director of transportation policy for the chamber.  “It is now time to take the recommendations of Congress and resolve the issue along with the rest of the international community, which is equally concerned about the EU’s overreach.  The negative impacts on passenger travel, cargo, business aviation, and the U.S economy as a whole, are definitive, extensive, and imminent if the administration fails to find a diplomatic solution before the EU implements new taxes on Americans next year.”

The chamber points out the carbon emissions tax on all airlines flying into and out of EU airports was recently delayed, yet uncertainty remains since delayed enforcement lasts only until October 2013.

To learn  more, visit www.uschamber.com.

Illustration by renjith krishnan at Free Digital Photos.net