green tax

The amount raised in green taxes has more than doubled in two decades in the UK. A new report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed revenue from taxes on fuel, cars, energy bills and flights stood at £44.6 billion last year – 2.5% of the UK’s GDP. The figure totalled £17.6 billion in […]

Business Secretary Vince Cable has warned green taxes on energy, which hits energy-intensive industries, are undermining businesses in Britain. He said levies such as the carbon price floor are hampering businesses due to the high costs, which are not faced by international competitors. Speaking at the Lib Dem party conference in Glasgow, he added British […]

The European Union antitrust regulators have opened an investigation into whether the green tax reductions in France for large energy users give the companies a “selective advantage”. France levies a surcharge on all consumers to finance its drive for wind power. It subsidises renewable energy projects with a tax called CSPE which is levied on […]

Moving taxes away from labour and towards pollution could bring in revenues of around €35 billion (£21bn) in 2015, the European Commission said. That could rise to €101 billion (£60.6bn) in 2025, with the possibility of reaching “far higher figures” if steps were also taken to remove environmentally harmful subsidies. Studies published by the Commission […]

SSE has confirmed an average price cut of 3.5% for gas and electricity, finally passing on the green tax savings to its customers. A typical annual dual fuel householder will see their energy bill fall from £1,224 to £1,186 and will also receive a £12 government rebate as a result of the Warm Home Discount […]

France is planning to bring in a new sort of green tax its environment minister Philippe Martin said this week. Mr Martin – who recently replaced Delphine Batho as Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy after she criticised departmental budget cuts – announced Prime Minister Jean Marc-Ayraut was in favour of a “climate energy […]

The United States is the best when it comes to pushing corporate firms to be more sustainable with taxes, according to new research released by KPMG yesterday. In a new Green Tax Index ranking 21 countries which are most actively using green tax codes, the USA came first for its “extensive and long-established programme of federal […]

A group of charities has expressed concern that the government’s low carbon policies are being held back by the Treasury. A new report from the Green Alliance, including Christian Aid, Greenpeace, RSPB and WWF, claims its findings “raise questions about whether the Treasury is fully signed up” to green policies. The report uses a traffic […]

The Treasury has been slammed by Parliament’s green watchdog for giving green taxes a bad name.In a report published today, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC)claims that people see green taxes as a way to pocket more taxpayers’ cash rather than an incentive to cut carbon. Joan Walley MP, Chair of the EAC said: “Green taxes […]