British MP Calls on Government to Stop Unfair Caribbean Travel Tax

British Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather has stepped up the pressure on the government to rethink the unfair Caribbean passenger tax.

Joined by popular broadcaster Floella Benjamin, as well as representatives of leading Caribbean organizations, Teather handed in a petition to Chancellor of the Exchequer including almost 400 signatures from her constituency.

The Labor government plans to tax Caribbean passengers at a higher rate than those traveling to the West Coast of the United States, which is farther away from the UK. But campaigners want the flight taxes based on the distance they travel and the carbon dioxide levels they emit. This would be fairer on UK residents with family in the Caribbean and also better for the environment.

Teather has previously joined a delegation of MPs meeting Bruce Golding, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, to discuss this issue, and has tabled a parliamentary motion urging the government to think again.