France will start taking steps to introduce a levy on airline tickets from next year to fund aid for Africa, president Jacques Chirac said yesterday at a meeting with French ambassadors.

Chirac has been urging other world leaders to impose such a levy to finance extra aid for Africa. He said last January a tax of $1 (€0.82) per ticket could raise $10 billion a year to fund campaigns against diseases in Africa.

He said yesterday France, Germany, Algeria, Brazil, Chile, and Spain had decided to join forces to push the idea at a United Nations summit in September.

The G8 pledged in June to consider such a levy but the proposal has prompted a mixed response.

The United States said it opposed the idea but would not block the plan if others wanted to implement it. Some European countries, including Greece and Ireland, have given the idea a frosty reception.

The airline industry is also opposed to such a levy.

"It's going to hurt the demand for air travel in general, but more importantly, it's a disincentive for people who are travelling to holiday destinations in developing nations." said Anthony Council, spokesman for the International Air Transport Association.

While no further details were available on the amount France plans to levy, sums of up to €3 per ticket were mooted in May.