India bans its airlines from paying EU carbon tax

India has barred its airlines from complying with the European Union's carbon taxation scheme, with the government saying no Indian carrier would share emissions data with the EU. "Though the European Union has directed Indian carriers to submit emission details of their aircraft by March 31, 2012, no Indian carrier is submitting them in view of the position of the government," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said Thursday in parliament. "Hence the imposition of carbon tax does not arise," he said. The European Union imposed a carbon tax on air travel with effect from January 1, but no airline will face a bill until 2013 after this year's carbon emissions have been tallied. India's resolution to boycott the scheme comes on the heels of China's decision last month to ban its airlines from complying with the EU directive. The EU has said the carbon tax will help the 27-nation European bloc achieve its goal of cutting emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and that it will not back down on the plan. The EU has argued that the cost for airlines is manageable, estimating that the scheme could prompt carriers to add between 4.0 and 24 euros ($32) to the price of a round-trip long-haul flight. Over two dozen countries, including Russia and the United States, have opposed the EU move, calling it a violation of international law.