EBAA France renews warnings about tax threat to business jets
The French government's Solidarity tax won't fly, said EBAA France. (Photocredit: EBAA France).
The French division of the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) has renewed warnings about the likely damage caused by the government’s new ‘Solidarity tax’. It is a message the British government should heed, according to the British Business General Aviation Association (BBGA).
EBAA France has long argued the new tax, implemented in March this year, unfairly penalises French business aviation. Classifying business flights as “luxury transport” subjects them to punitive rates of tax in new legislation implemented in March this year, claims the organisation.
It is urging the French government to cut the solidarity tariff applied to business aviation to a level that is aligned with the tax charged on business and first-class travel on scheduled airlines. It also wants an implementation of “fair collection mechanisms”, guaranteeing that operators – both French and international – contribute equal payments. Finally, it wants the government to earmark tax revenues for decarbonisation of the sector as the only way to ensure that it can continue its transition to zero carbon emissions. These changes should be made in the government’s 2026 Finance Bill, it argued.
Highlighting the importance of French business aviation, EBAA France claims that the sector accounts for more than 80% of business travel and contributes €32.1bn ($37.1bn) of economic output and more than 101,500 direct and indirect jobs to the French economy.
Business jets fly into 262 local French airports compared with about 100 for commercial airlines. The network supports a wide range of jobs that cannot be outsourced, including: pilots; maintenance technicians; logistics specialists; airport and catering staff and medical professionals.
The warnings should be heeded by the UK government, said Lindsey Oliver, director general BBGA. After speaking to Charles Aguettant, president of EBAA France, Oliver told CJI: “We urge the UK government to watch closely the impact of taxation increases by other countries on our sector. Business aviation holds the key to zero emission flight future.”
Echoes of the French ‘Solidarity tax’ can be found in the UK government’s consultation on the levying Airline Passenger Duty (APD) on business jets passengers. “BBGA, ACA [Air Charter Association] and RABA [Regional and Business Airports Group] have been heavily involved in lobbying the UK government in the past year to show that the decrease in the weight banding for APD on business aviation will undoubtedly result in reduced activity and reduced investment in SAF and sustainable technologies,” Oliver told us.
Meanwhile, EBAA France argues that the tax, as currently implemented, discriminates against French operators and is counterproductive. “The tax is self-reported, meaning that French operators are primarily responsible for it, while foreign companies clearly escape it to a large extent,” said the association in a statement. “And the additional tax has led to a contraction in the activity of French companies, mechanically reducing tax revenue.”
The activity of French business aircraft companies fell by 21.8% in the third quarter of 2025, while foreign operators increased business by 4%, creating “a major distortion of competition”, it claimed. “It is the foreign competitors who benefit from this situation, capturing French demand without contributing to national taxes, employment in France, or the local industrial ecosystem, and without any environmental benefit whatsoever,” according to the statement.
This latest warning follows predictions in February from Paul Tiba, board member EBBA France that the new fiscal measures would prove to be “a disaster tax”. During the same online meeting Aguettant said: “We hope to have some discussion with them [the French government] to convince them that these taxes are ridiculous. They are going to kill companies and not only French companies.”
Joining the chorus of disapproval against the new tax in September was Olivier Perdriel, CEO and founder of business jet management and charter services company Skyfirst.
“It’s going to force French operators out of business and could shut down smaller airports,” he told CJI. “Aviation is probably one of the most taxed industries. We have a noise tax, we have a passenger tax, we have overflying tax, landing tax and so on.”
The Skyfirst CEO suspects a misunderstanding about who is paying the tax. “The objective of the French tax is to tax rich people. But in the end, it’s the operator who’s paying the tax.”
EBAA France 2026 Finance Bill demands
1. Cut solidarity tariff applied to business aviation to align with level applied to business and first class on scheduled airlines
2. Implementation of fair collection mechanisms, guaranteeing that operators, French and foreign, contribute equally
3. Earmarking tax revenues for decarbonisation of the sector as the only way to ensure that the sector can continue its transition.
