TOURISM:THE FINE Gael-Labour coalition has promised to abolish the travel tax on airline passengers in an effort to encourage airlines to increase the number of passengers they bring into the Republic.
The programme for government says the coalition will “abolish the travel tax as part of a deal with airlines to restore lost routes”. Passenger numbers into the Republic fell from 7.7 million in 2007 to 5.6 million last year.
During the election campaign Fine Gael said the tax would be abolished if airlines reached certain targets on passenger numbers and on internships for college graduates. The programme does not mention these conditions.
A travel tax of €10, introduced two years ago for departing passengers, had been reduced to €3.
