Holidaying Brits hit with £2.4bn bill as amount taxman hits families up for DOUBLES in 8yrs
Campaigners say low income families are hit the hardest by Government at an average of £62 per person
HOLIDAYING Brits are stung by a £2.4billion a year tax bill as the taxman rakes in an average of almost £62 per holidaymaker, a new study has revealed.
As families jet off on their summer holidays, experts totted up the cost of pre-holiday shopping on essentials like suntan lotion, sunglasses and swimwear plus the stealth taxes on vital travel insurance and the cost of air passenger duty.
A family of four travelling to Spain will pay an average bill of £133.20 on flights and holiday shopping, the TaxPayers’ Alliance study found.
And a mum and dad with two kids under 16 heading to Florida will cough up an extra £253.20.
Increases to VAT, Air Passenger Duty and Insurance Premium Tax mean the total tax bill has surged to £2.4bn this year – a rise of more than £900m since 2008.
The tax grab per person has more than doubled, rocketing from £30 per person in eight years to £61.12.
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TaxPayer’s Alliance chief Jonathan Isaby, said air passenger duty hits those on low incomes the hardest.
He said: “Families across the UK work hard and save every year so they can enjoy a week away in the sun.
"So hard-pressed taxpayers have every right to be angry that the taxman chases them all the way to the departure gate to squeeze that little bit extra from their budgets.”
The Scottish Government is pressing ahead with plans to abolish Air Passenger Duty (APD) and has committed to reducing the tax by 50 per cent first.