Petition Reform the Air Passenger Duty

We call on the UK government to reform and make fairer the Air Passenger Duty (APD). The current APD is unfair on those particularly long haul travellers who have no other realistic transportation choice other than air. This creates a particular unfairness for many of those from some of the most disadvantaged section of the UK society such as people with their origin in the Caribbean.
The state needs to raise funds, but as currently structured, the APD creates great unfairness. On a typical fare to the Caribbean of £500-£600 the amount of taxation is over 50% of the cost . The lowest Band A of the APD (at up to £52.00), is currently above the rate that Germany charges for their most highly taxed long haul routes (approximately £42.00).
A reformed fairer system (Band A/B) would mean that over time the UK economy and consequently the Chancellor are likely to gain more from the resulting increased economic activity than retaining the current system.