An extra tax on plane tickets – one of the proposals of the new cabinet – will have little effect on the environment, the government’s environmental advice bureau MNP said on Thursday. The Dutch may book fewer flights but the number of transfer passengers at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport will continue to grow, counteracting the decline, the MNP said.

The MNP is more enthusiastic about the government’s plans to accelerate road pricing which it says could reduce the use of cars by between 10% and 15% by 2020.
The cabinet asked the MNP to make an initial analysis of its environmental policies in advance of Thursday’s parliamentary debate on the government’s programme for the next four years.