New poll reveals a large cohort supports a “heavy tax” on private jets, but weans for more expensive and less frequent flights to help slow climate change. By Conor O’Carroll. A new Red C opinion poll has found that a large majority of people support the introduction of a heavy tax on private jets. Support for the measure was high across a broad range of groups, including age, gender, social class and geographical region, with overall support sitting at 79%. Men aged 35-54, women over 55, those in higher social grades and people in Dublin and Munster were among the most supportive, with approval in those categories surpassing 80%, while the lowest support (73%) came from those in the Connacht and Ulster region. Despite the strong support for a private jet tax, people were less keen to increase the cost of flying to help the environment and there was even less support for flying less frequently According to the latest monthly register of aircraft from the Irish Aviation Authority, there are 459 privately registered aircraft in Ireland, representing over a third of the total number of registered aircraft. Many of these aircraft, however, are smaller planes, microlight aircraft or even home builds. Research published by Greenpeace earlier this year shows that private jet usage in Ireland has increased substantially over the last number of years. In 2020, 858 private flights took off from Irish airports, but by 2022, this figure had increased to 6,671 private flights. This contributed almost 68,000 tonnes in CO2 emissions, according to Greenpeace – equivalent to over 15,000 petrol cars driving for one year. There were also 42 private flights of less than 100km, with 19 of those flying from Shannon to Kerry, a distance of just over 70km. Village reported last month that Kerry Airport had submitted a planning application to construct a private aircraft hangar as well as a private arrivals and departure area. The application is currently on hold, with Kerry County Council seeking further information, including a Noise Impact Assessment of the proposed development. Proposals to introduce a tax on private jets have been mooted before, most recently by Sinn Féin. Responding to the poll results, Senator Lynn Boylan told Village: “Heavy taxes on private jets aren’t just right, they’re smart”, pointing to the revenue that would be earned from the levy. “Climate action can be effective and just without unduly burdening ordinary people”, Senator Boylan continued. “For real change, climate action needs to be popular and inclusive. The current model sends the message that climate action is only for the ordinary person, while the rich can carry on their high-emitting lifestyles”. Other proposals include banning private jets outright, such as a bill introduced by People Before Profit in March this year, which would ban private jet travel over Irish air space. Paul Murphy TD told Village: “It is no surprise that the public favours a heavy tax on private jets. They epitomise the inequality of responsibility for the climate crisis”. “We cannot say we are serious about tackling the climate crisis while allowing the super-rich to emit more from one private jet flight than ordinary people emit in an entire year”, he continued. Research published by Greenpeace earlier this year shows that private jet usage in Ireland has increased substantially over the last number of years The poll, conducted on behalf of environmental charity Friends of the Irish Environment, also asked people’s attitudes towards flying in relation to climate change. Despite the strong support for a private jet tax, people were less keen to increase the cost of flying to help the environment and there was even less support for flying less frequently with just 34% of people agreeing with the proposal. There were clear generational divisions with both these questions, as the youngest cohort (ages 18-34) responded more favourably than their older counterparts. Support was also especially low among those in lower social grades, where the cost increases would have a disproportionate impact.
