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The Spanish government has announced that it is considering introducing an air transport tax, similar to the controversial Air Passenger Duty in the UK - which Westminster is under pressure to reduce or scrap.

The thinking behind this is to raise extra funds to fight climate change and also reduce the number of flights to ease Spain’s carbon footprint.

That is all well and good but what is the cost going to be to passengers, especially those who live here in Balearics, the Canary Islands and the N. African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla? Flights are our lifeline, hence why residents are entitled to the 75 percent travel discount.

Little more information has trickled out of Madrid about the tax but I hope that the different requirements and situations of certain regions of Spain are taken into account and a flat rate blanket tax is not introduced.

Obviously, a tax will mean an increase in air fares and, combine that with an eventual decrease in the number of flights, the rise could be substantial.

The UK APD is in two bands, one for flights shorter than 2,000 miles and another for long haul.

Taxes start at £13 and rise to a maximum of £515 - and - as things stand, they are going up next month. Considering the current climate in the travel industry, introducing new taxes on the industry is not a sensible idea.