Montego Bay -- Jan. 17, 2011 - Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding, has said that Jamaica and the
wider region will continue to lobby against the Airport Passenger Duty (APD) imposed by the United Kingdom government, which he said, was unfair.
“One particular issue that we (Caribbean governments) have been
struggling with has to do with the decision of the United Kingdom to
impose this Airport Passenger Duty, something that we still maintain,
and we say so respectfully is manifestly unjust to the countries of the
Caribbean,” the Prime Minister stated.
He was giving the keynote address at the opening of the Caribbean Hotel
and Tourist Association’s premier marketing event, ‘Caribbean
Marketplace,’ on Sunday (January 16), at the newly opened Montego Bay
Conference Centre in Rose Hall, St. James.
The APD is a travel tax imposed by the UK government, which is applied
according to the distance travelled by passengers to and from UK
airports, with those who travel the farthest paying more.
The Caribbean has been placed in band C, now means passengers
travelling to and from the Caribbean pay more than passengers
travelling to and from the United States, which is in the cheaper band
B.
The Prime Minister said that several representatives from the Caribbean
have tried to impress upon the UK Government, that the APD, in its
present form, is not fair, and needs to be reviewed.
Prime Minister Golding informed that the new Chairman of CARICOM, Prime
Minister Tillman Thomas of Grenada, has been given a detailed update on
the regional effort to deal with the APD, adding that he has no doubt
that Prime Minister Thomas will continue to press the region’s case.
He noted however that direct lobbying was not the only option open to
the region, explaining that he has done some consultation and has
received “sound advice” that there are other avenues that the Caribbean
may have to consider.
“I have consulted widely…there are other options that the Caribbean may
have to consider, in tackling something that is not just unfair and
unjust, but which we believe to be in conflict with established global
rules of trade,” he stated.
Representatives from approximately 32 tourist destinations within the
Caribbean along with buyers from major markets across the globe are
attending Caribbean Marketplace, which concludes Tuesday, January 18.