Britain paying ‘too much’ green taxes
Thursday 28th August 2008, 8:29AM BST.
The UK is paying £19.6 billion more in green taxes than the economic damage it does through carbon emissions, according to the Taxpayers’ Alliance.
The group subtracted the costs of greenhouse gas emissions from the amount of green tax paid by the UK and found Britain paid £19.6 billion too much.
The emission figures came from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), but when the group used the government’s own estimates, it still found the UK was overtaxed by £7.9 billion.
“Green taxes are set far higher than is necessary to pay for our carbon footprint, which loads an unfair burden on to hard-pressed British families and businesses,” said Matthew Sinclair, a policy analyst at the Taxpayers’ Alliance.
“It’s dishonest and unjust for politicians to wrap revenue raising tax hikes in a green banner.”
But green activists have questioned the research, saying their calculations are “discredited”.
“The Taxpayers’ Alliance figures are seriously flawed because they are based on a discredited approach to calculating the cost of climate change – and in fact green taxes have fallen as a proportion of overall taxes since Labour came to power,” said Dave Timms, Friends of the Earth’s new economics campaigner.
“Green taxes are one of the key policies needed to prevent dangerous climate change that would cost the UK billions of pounds and ruin lives.”
But the Taxpayers’ Alliance is standing by its research, which found the green tax burden to have risen from £22.7 billion in 2006/07 to £24.2 billion in 2007/08.
It also says the burden falls disproportionately on rural and suburban areas. Residents of Maldon, for example, pay £607 per person in green taxes, while residents of Camden, in London, pay £62, according to the IPCC estimates.
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As I have said many times on here, the hoo haa over global warming and climate change is just a con so greedy politians can tax the poor population more money to lavish the pampered lifestyle they have and to send aid (which is not used correctly) to 3rd world countries.
Climate change has been happening for billions of years.
And the sooner people start getting annoyed at PR gump like Carbon footprint etc the better
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It’s all a big con. Now thay are saying that Shropshire pays more in Green Taxes than cities like Birmingham, how fair is that? Long live the Tax Payer’s Alliance. I see that The Driver’s Alliance has started up now, lets hope it can help us poor motorists.
If the Green Party ever got in this country would be ruined.
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Hi guys.
I must get a straight response from you before you run off as you (or others pushing the same line) usually do when I pose this question.
If man-made climate change is ‘just a con’, then why does no scientific institution in the world dispute it?
I have cited numerous scientific institutions on these discussion threads which have made statements saying man-made climate change IS happening, challenging denialists to produce evidence to back up their views.
Each time I have demanded evidence from anonymous bloggers, who dispute it, they have run away.
(eg; http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/06/10/hundreds-air-views-on-wind-farm/ http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/08/09/protesters-kicked-out-of-town-park/ http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/08/13/protest-pair-defy-park-ban/ http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/08/26/staying-high-and-dry-in-a-4×4/ )
I hope BRIAN(2) and Y Mab Darogan agree that readers of the Shropshire Star discussions might be forgiven for thinking that the denialist argument is ‘just a con’ if no-one can ever stick around long enough to substantiate it with evidence.
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If the Green Party were in power in this country, we would be attempting to deal with the ‘triple crunch’ which is currently hitting the world economy.
This crunch is being fuelled by the credit crunch, accelerating climate change and soaring energy prices underpinned by encroaching peak oil.
Many people understand (even if Y Mab Darogan and BRIAN(2) do not) that these 3 overlapping phenomena could develop into a perfect storm, the like of which has not been seen since the Great Depression, with the potential to ruin not just our country but the world economy.
What would the Drivers’ Alliance response to this be, BRIAN(2)?
We want a ‘Green New Deal’.
This would power a renewables revolution, create thousands of green-collar jobs and make more low-cost capital available for pressing priorities.
Unlike the Labour government a green government would ensure that green taxes were visibly invested in improving sustainable transport and that each new tax levy was offset (ie if heating fuel increased in price free housing insulation would be provided).
The Green Party would abolish VAT.
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This country is already ruined. The sandal wearing, bean eating PC crowd helped to destroy the last ounce of common sense we had. I would really like to know where our taxes really do go as they sure dont go on education, policing or health. We (as tax payers) are taxed at every opportunity and yet the country is morally and financially bankrupt.
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but hang on isnt it stated tory party policy to increase the proportion of government earnings that come from so called Green taxes? I note camerons gone quiet on the green agenda since the economy stalled, typical band wagon politician with no substance
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Agree with Y Mab Darogan & BRIAN(2) the green issue was a smoke screen to increase taxes across the board we must start protesting like our European neighbor’s the French & Spanish do not accept it why should we!!!
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Who are the “Taxpayers’ Alliance”?
I have been a taxpayer for many years, but I do not remember voting for them at any stage.
Who is funding them to write all these press releases they seem to have been putting out recently? Are they the Tory Party in disguise?
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So when will I see the benefit of the efforts of my family for recycling and composting all the things that are expected of us ?
Will there be a reduction in my council tax ?
Not a chance !
Just how much money is made by selling all the recycled materials that we collect on behalf of SABC, and where does it go ?
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Richard and Steven, would you not agree that there would be more support for green taxes if you could instantly see the benefits for the whole community?
Green taxes should be invested in subsidising insulation (which when fitted would save tax-payers money and cut carbon emissions). Vulnerable households would be prioritised. This is happening in Kirklees where Greens sit on the council.
In Germany which had a Green government (in coalition with Socialists) solar panels on people’s roofs were subsidised. The feed-in tarriff mechanism then ensured that those who installed panels on their roofs could continue to benefit from them by selling surplus energy to the national grid.
ie they made money while saving the planet.
Creative ways of using our taxes are needed to make cutting carbon emissions popular at the same time as saving households and businesses money.
Human beings are creative and inventive all over the world. Shropshire is no different. Forums like this could be full of ideas for making green taxes more palletable and the investments they make possible more effective, if we dared to be more positive and optimistic about the future, and became genuinely interested in ‘doing our bit’.
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