On August 2, the European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) strongly criticised plans by the Dutch government to impose a EUR25 tax on all air passengers leaving airports in the Netherlands and called on travellers to sign an online petition against the tax.

Commenting on the proposal John Hanlon, Secretary General of ELFAA said: "The proposed levy is nothing more than a cheap tax grab on ordinary citizens, be they business travellers, holidaymakers or passengers visiting friends and relatives. If the Dutch government were serious about the environment, they would press for all airlines to deliver the kind of environmental efficiency delivered by the low fares airlines across all sectors of the industry. This cannot be achieved by taxes levied on a per passenger basis and requires a market driven solution, for example, a well designed scheme to include aviation into the EU ETS extending to all flights to and from the European Union."

The tax will hurt the Dutch economy in general and the aviation and travel industry in particular. The consideration being given by the new Government to levy the proposed tax only on passengers originating in Holland and not those in transit through Holland is particularly unfair to Dutch passengers."