Lib-Dems claim green taxes "lowest for 25 years"
September 23, 2007
The Liberal Democrats claim that official figures they have obtained show that green taxes have fallen for the seventh successive year and are now at their lowest level of gross domestic product (GDP) for a quarter of a century.
The party says that taxes on environmental impacts, such as fuel duty, landfill tax, hydrocarbon duty, air passenger duty and others, amounted to just 2.7% of national income in 2006, compared with a peak of 3.6% in 1999.
It is estimated that current levels are the lowest since 1981, under Margaret Thatcher's Government.
Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary Chris Huhne said, "Ever since the fuel duty protests in 2000, Gordon Brown has run scared of any tough decisions on the environment. Mr Brown has cut green taxes by a fifth even though they are crucial to changing our behaviour."
In addition, Chris Huhne said of the Prime Minister, "He has cut flood defence and climate research budgets. He vetoed the plan to toll road freight, and he ditched the legal requirements on big companies to report their environmental impact in operating and financial reviews."
The Liberal Democrats have also criticised the Government's decision to make the Cabinet Committee on the Environment a sub-committee of the Economic Committee chaired by the Chancellor, calling this a "downgrade" of the Environment Committee's status.
Chris Huhne added, "Sadly, all the evidence is that Mr Brown is not green and does not understand the key threat posed by climate chaos. Polluters must pay, we must shift tax from people and on to pollution."
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