Is Brown's Budget Green Enough?
Submitted by allgreen on Wed, 03/21/2007 - 12:49
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.