Natarajan slams EU tax on airlines
Minister for environment and forests Jayanthi Natarajan has described the controversial EU carbon tax being charged on airlines as being a “deal breaker” as far as climate change negotiations are concerned.
Ms Natarajan has earlier also expressed her displeasure over the imposition of the EU tax being levied from January 1, 2012 in which airlines using EU airports would have to pay a carbon tax on emissions.
Both China and the US have also gone public in expressing their displeasure over this tax but this is for the first time that Ms Natarajan has gone public in taking such a strong stand. Speaking at an event organised by The Energy Research Institute (TERI), Ms Natarajan said such unilateral trade measures in the guise of climate change are unacceptable.
“For the environment ministry, for me, it is a deal breaker because you simply cannot bring this into the climate change discourse and disguise unilateral trade measures in the name of climate change,” Ms Natarajan said.
She added that India had already raised this issue at several international forums.
“I have written a very strong letter to the EU commissioner Connie Hedegaard and raised it at various national and international fora. I believe as far as climate change discussions are concerned, this is unacceptable,” she said. “I had a response from Hedegaard but they stand by their views,” she added.
Any airline that does not comply faces fines of $128 for each tonne of carbon dioxide emitted for which they have not surrendered allowances. Airlines which are persistent offenders can be banned from EU airports.
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