Is Brown's Budget Green Enough?

Gordon Brown has announced that he wishes to promote environmentally sustainable growth and environmental innovations.

  • On Vehicle Excise Duty the most polluting cars will only need to pay £300 road tax this year and £400 from next year.
  • The 2p fuel duty rise has been deferred for 6 months.
  • Grants of up to £4000 will be available for pensioners installing insulation and heating in their homes.
  • "Zero Carbon" homes up to a value of £500,000 will be exempt from stamp duty.
  • Landfill tax will rise by £8 a year from April 2008.
  • £50m has been pledged to prevent the destruction of the second largest rain forest in the world in central Africa.
  • £800m is going to the Environmental Transformation Fund (jointly run by the international development and environment secretaries)
  • Landfill Tax increases from £21 per tonne to £24 per tonne (except for inactive waste which stays at £2 per tonne)
  • The Climate Change Levy, paid by commercial users and collected by utility companies, changes from:
    • 0.43p per kwh to 0.441p per kwh for electricity
    • 0.15p per kwh to 0.154p per kwh for gas
    • 0.96p per kilogram to 0.985p per kilogram for LPG and similar fuels
    • 1.17p per kilogram to 1.201p pre kilogram for other taxable commodities like coal.