France to impose green tax on plane tickets

Subscribe to France 24 now: http://f24.my/youtubeEN FRANCE 24 live news stream: all the latest news 24/7 http://f24.my/YTliveEN It's hardly France's first attempt to put a tax on carbon. But this time, Emmanuel Macron's government is trying a new tack.France's transport minister announced Tuesday that the government will impose an eco-tax on all flights out of France. SOT Elisabeth Borne - 15sCette éco contribution représentera 180 millions d'euros pour le transport aérien à partir de 2020, qui seront intégralement investé affectés à la programmation des investissements, c'est à dire au financement des transports du quotidien de nos concitoyens. "This eco tax will represent 180 million euros on air travel starting in 2020, which will be re-invested entirely toward our fellow citizens' everday transport needs."Borne specifically said the revenue would be invested in public transit, starting with rail.The so-called 'eco tax' will be introduced gradually. It will amount to about 1.5 euros for an economy class ticket on domestic flights ... going up to 18 euros for business class tickets on long-haul flights. [DLS - bullet point prices]The tax is one of several environmental measures that Macron's government has announced in recent weeks. (ADD SYNTHE - JUNE 12, 2019 - PHILIPPE SPEECH)His mandate has been marked by sharp debates over how to put a price on carbon emissions. (ADD SYNTHE - JANUARY 2019 - MACRON GRAND DEBAT)An attempt to increase taxes on diesel and petrol last fall sparked the yellow vest movement, one of France's largest protest movements in decades,which forced the government to walk back the tax hike.More recently, controversy has raged over a proposed bill in the national assemblythat would ban domestic flights in cases where the trip takes about the same amount of time as it would by train. Macron's environment minister has opposed that measure.For now, the government has taken a step towards placating its environmental critics....A step that hasn't pleased investors. Shares in Air France and Lufthansa were both down following the announcement. Visit our website: http://www.france24.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://f24.my/youtubeEN Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en