CHINESE airlines have been banned from paying the EU’s carbon emissions charges, the government in Beijing announced yesterday, setting the scene for a row over the enforceability of international tax arrangements.
Starting from next year, airlines will be given permits covering 85 per cent of their current carbon emissions but will have to pay fines of up to €100 (£82.94) for each tonne of carbon dioxide they emit beyond their permitted level. Persistent offenders may be banned from flying.
China’s Civil Aviation Administration told airlines they are not allowed to pay the charge or raise fees in line with the charges, unless the government allows them to.
The carbon charging scheme for flights in and out of EU airports “runs contrary to relevant principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the international civil aviation regulations,” the administration said.
Beijing had already denounced the scheme as a trade barrier.
However, the UK department for energy and climate change warned “It will be much more costly for any airline not to comply than to do so.”
