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Speaking at an ABTA Summer Event in the National Gallery to an audience of MPs, senior civil servants and leading travel industry figures, he said: “We have a number of common views and all feel very strongly about APD which will see a family of four paying £340 tax on a flight to Australia by next year. The tax must be reduced and if not, it will lead to job losses in the UK and have a severe impact on the economies of many developing nations”

Mr McEwan’s call for action followed on recent comments by Environment Secretary Ed Miliband in the Guardian in which he said: “I don’t want to have a situation where only rich people can afford to fly. People in my constituency have benefited from being able to have foreign travel, which, 40 years ago, only the middle classes took for granted.”

Mark Tanzer ABTA Chief Executive said: “We fully agree with Ed Miliband’s sensible comments that air travel should not become once more only the preserve of the well off. However, increasing APD will have precisely that effect.”

16 July 2009
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Sean Tipton, Communications Officer, tel: 020 3117 0513, Frances Tuke, Public Relations Manager, tel: 020 3117 0514, Mobile 07850 712325, Casia Zajac, Head of Communications, tel: 020 3117 0515, Mobile: 0754 592 7411
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Notes to Editors
ABTA – The Travel Association was founded in 1950 and currently has over 1,300 members with over 5,500 outlets. Members include travel agents, tour operators and support services right across the spectrum from small family-owned businesses to the largest tour operators. 

ABTA is the largest travel association in the UK and its members provide 90% of the foreign package holidays in the UK as well as selling millions of independent travel arrangements. 

In 2008 ABTA merged with the Federation of Tour Operators [FTO], thereby cementing its role as the leading travel association and increasing benefits for both ABTA and FTO members. Both the ABTA brand which is highly recognised by consumers and the FTO brand which is well known in destinations will be retained.

As part of its comprehensive package of services to members, ABTA, as a non-party political organisation, also provides an effective voice to represent the interests of its Members to government and key opinion formers at the highest levels.  In the UK, these include, government ministers, constituency MPs, Select Committee members, senior civil servants and members of the political opposition parties in both Westminster and the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

In Europe, ABTA is forming close ties with members of the European Parliament, the European Commission and staff within the Director Generals’ Secretariats. ABTA works in partnership with ECTAA (the European grouping of travel agents and tour operators’ associations) to lobby on interests relevant to its Members.