Previously, the parties have opened up for a halving of the air travel tax per passenger. Now, the disputed tax is being abolished instead.
We're doing it to promote air traffic throughout the country and thereby improve accessibility throughout the country. It simply means lower ticket prices, says the Sweden Democrats' group leader Linda Lindberg at the press conference.
The air travel tax was introduced in 2018 and has generated tax revenues of around 1.8 billion kronor per year.
A surcharge
For a traveler, it has meant a surcharge on the price depending on the length of the trip. Within Europe, it has been about 76 kronor based on this year's tax rate, according to the Tax Agency's website, while trips to the USA have involved a tax of 315 kronor. For countries such as Thailand, it has been about 504 kronor per passenger.
Linda Lindberg says at the press conference that it now means 82 kronor lower ticket prices within Sweden, while it means around 325 kronor for trips to the USA. The change is intended to be implemented from the summer of 2025.
If you want to preserve the ability to have good air connections and Sweden as a hub internationally, you must ensure that you do not discriminate against the competitive advantage that Sweden can have. This is in line with long-term climate policy and preserving the country's travel opportunities, says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M).
Several referral bodies have, however, been critical of abolishing the air travel tax and have dismissed the idea. Apart from the Environmental Protection Agency, several researchers from universities such as Chalmers and KTH have pointed out that the EU's system covers less than half of Swedes' air travel emissions.
In response to a question from TT about whether it will not mean that Sweden risks missing its climate targets, Linda Lindberg answers:
As for our Swedish climate targets, it will not be a huge change. Our ambition is that this will increase the number of passengers on our flights, which in the long run means more air traffic. This will affect climate emissions, but it's something we'll have to look at further down the line.
Extremely important
Energy and Business Minister Ebba Busch (KD) says at the same time that the abolition is extremely important for Swedish business.
This is extremely important for many companies and large parts of the business community – that we can maintain air routes. It's also the case that it's a minority of countries within the EU that have an air travel tax. This gives Sweden a huge competitive disadvantage, she says.
