SNP welcomes Tory support for tax plan

NATIONALIST ministers welcomed support from the Scottish Conservatives in their bid to scrap an airport tax – which could cut the cost of family holidays dramatically.

Yesterday, the Tories revealed that they had performed a U-turn and would now back plans to abolish air passenger duty (APD) for long-haul economy flights.

It would mean savings of £75 per person for flights to popular destinations such as the US, Thailand and Turkey.

The Scottish Government wants to cut APD by 50 per cent by 2021, with the first reduction coming in 2018 when Holyrood gets powers over the tax – before abolishing it completely ‘when public finances permit’.

Yesterday, Scottish Conserva- tive leader Ruth Davidson confirmed her party will seek to scrap the charge for all economy flights of 2,000 miles or more while cutting it by 50 per cent for business class passengers.

She would also freeze the duty on all short-haul flights. After failing to win a majority at May’s Holyrood election, the SNP’s plan looked unlikely to pass due to opposition from other parties.

Yesterday, Miss Davidson said: ‘We are the only people who will work on the SNP on this, so they have to listen to us.’

Announcing the plans yesterday, Scottish Tory finance spokesman Murdo Fraser said they would incentivise airlines to put on new long-haul flights from Scotland’s biggest airports.

He added: ‘As we prepare for Brexit, it is more important than ever to use Holyrood’s powers to go global, so we can create new jobs, deliver more opportunities, and build a stronger economy.’

Mr Fraser confirmed he had spoken to Finance Secretary Derek Mackay about the proposals, which he said offered better value for money than the SNP’s original plan of a universal cut.

Last night, the Scottish Government welcomed the Tories’ move as a ‘step in the right direction’ to reforming the tax.

An SNP spokesman said ministers were still hoping the Conservatives would support their plan of a 50 per cent cut for all passengers, which they say will boost Scotland’s connectivity.