Why John Swinney has backed introducing a £21.5m tax on private jets in Scotland

The First Minister said he was “very much in the spirit” of introducing a tax on private jets after being told claims the policy could have halted the controversial re-introduction of peak rail fares, due to be restart from Monday.

Read more: The £22m SNP tax power that would have paid for ScotRail peak fare ban

The First Minister’s intervention suggests a change in strategy from the SNP. Despite a private jet tax being a long-standing Green policy, the now-defunct Bute House Agreement stated “aviation policy” was exempt from the shared policy agenda and there was no mention of it in the SNP’s 2021 Holyrood manifesto.

Legislation to introduce air departure tax would allow measures to target private jets amid concerns that since 2019, when the Scottish Government declared a ‘climate emergency’, there have been 54,746 recorded private flights in Scotland.

Analysis suggests private jets are five to 14 times more polluting per passenger than commercial flights and around 50 times more than trains. Oxfam Scotland has estimated if a private jet tax had been in place last year, it could have raised an estimated £21.5 million

Speaking at First Minister’s Questions, Greens co-leader Lorna Slater pointed to a private jet levy and called on Mr Swinney to “urgently introduce this tax”.

Mr Swinney acknowledged he would be keen to introduce a tax on private jets in Scotland.

But he pointed to the long-standing issue for the UK Treasury to grant an exemption for the Highland and Islands for the long-delayed air departure tax.

Despite being devolved seven years ago, the tax has not been developed by SNP ministers over a stand-off with Westminster over granting Highland and Islands airports an exemption, as they are seen as providing lifeline services for communities.

Devolving the tax was initially seen as a way of giving Scottish airports a competitive edge by lowering the duty, but it is now seen as a key mechanism for curtailing aviation demand amid the climate crisis and Scotland’s stuttering progress in meeting its emissions targets.

Responding to the calls for the taxation powers to be pushed forward, Mr Swinney said: “I think that’s a very interesting and welcome suggestion that Lorna Slater makes.” But he pointed to “the importance of securing an exemption for the Highlands and Islands for air departure tax”.

Mr Swinney said: “As for taxing private jets, I would be very much in the spirit of doing that.”

Campaigners have welcomed the suggestion from Mr Swinney he is keen to introduce a tax on private jets, but have called for action to push plans forward.

Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “It’s encouraging to hear the First Minister is open to introducing a private jet tax in Scotland. But words alone aren’t enough - it's time he engaged with the UK government to give this tax full clearance for take-off.

“Faster action to raise money to invest in green initiatives like scrapping peak fares can no longer be delayed. It's time to make the richest polluters pay the bill for their lavish, climate wrecking lifestyles. Their payment is already long overdue.”