The UK Government should hand over control of Air Passenger Duty to the Welsh Government by 2021, according to the Welsh Affairs Committee.

Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a tax levied by the UK Government on passenger flights from UK airports.

The tax on passenger flights from Cardiff Airport is currently controlled by Westminster.

It is currently set and managed by the UK Government for England and Wales, but it has been devolved to Scotland and partially devolved to Northern Ireland.

The Welsh Affairs Committee says that it should also be devolved to Wales

The evidence my Committee heard about the benefits of devolving APD was absolutely convincing. The UK Government needs to recognise these opportunities for Wales and demonstrate its commitment to equity within the devolution system by setting out a plan for devolving APD to Wales. David T.C. Davies MP, Chair of the Committee

The Committee says that devolution could "unlock the potential" of Cardiff Airport, boost the Welsh brand, and promote economic growth.

It raised concerns, however, that lowering or scrapping APD could increase air travel - bringing with it higher carbon emissions.

The group of MPs called on the Welsh Government to carry out a full environmental impact assessment before decisions are made on any reduction of abolition of the tax.

It's been suggested devolving the tax could 'unlock the potential' of Cardiff Airport. Credit: PA

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The Welsh Government has echoed calls for APD to become devolved.

The Welsh Government has consistently argued there is no justification for Wales being treated differently to Scotland, Northern Ireland in terms of the devolution of APD. We therefore welcome the Committee's recognition of the inequity in the devolution process. We now call on the UK Government to take the recommended action and fully devolve APD to Wales by 2021. Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Trefnydd

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