BRITAIN is not to have an air tax levy as such. In a written parliamentary answer aviation minister Karen Buck has turned down a Civil Aviation Authority recommendation for a one-pound ”insurance” charge. The Department for Transport was of the view that government did not organise refund schemes for other consumer industries with products or services. "We believe that people should be free to choose whether to pay for insurance or not. It is not compulsory, for example, to take out medical insurance or an E111 European health form; and the Government doesn't force householders to insure their house contents, although most of us think it's wise to do so. Even in car insurance, the legal requirement is limited to third party liabilities”. Of the airlines, only Virgin Atlantic were in favour of the charge, British Airways and easyJet quick to praise the department in its decision.
http://www.dft.gov.uk