The Swedish government announced on Tuesday that it intends to scrap an aviation tax (known as flygskatt in Swedish) by July 1, 2025, as part of a package of measures designed to spur economic growth.
The aviation tax was introduced in 2018 by the previous administration to dissuade passengers from flying and instead choose more environmentally friendly modes of transport.
Passengers were most heavily taxed for taking long-haul flights, and a surcharge of SEK 400 (around US $40) was added for flights of 6,000 km or more departing Sweden.
The tax did not apply to young children or passengers who were connecting through Sweden and it was based on similar aviation taxes added by several other European countries.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a news conference that the aviation tax would be abolished by the middle of next year in order to improve accessibility with neighboring countries.
Kristersson did, however, also note that axing the tax would allow Sweden to work more closely with the European Union over bloc-wide aviation controls, which could lead to a new, more standardized tax in the future.
