We pass up no opportunity to fulminate against Great Britain's Air Passenger Duty, the Darth Vader of onerous travel taxes.
Such an opportunity has presented itself in a recent declaration by the British government that it will not review the efficacy of this tax "in isolation," as tourism interests have advocated. Instead, it will work to improve the effectiveness of the tax system "as a whole."
This is like refusing to fix a flat tire because you want to take the time to diagnose your vehicle's problems in a more holistic manner. In short, it's a joke, and we are not amused.
The tax, the highest such levy in the civilized world, adds $100 to the price of a London-New York economy ticket and even more to air travel from Britain to leisure destinations in the Caribbean. For business class, it doesn't merely go up; it doubles.
It is rapacious, arbitrary and unfair. It is a burden on commerce and a blight on England. So there.