David Miliband dismissed the rumours of increasing green taxes that would affect mainly middle-income families on BBC's Sunday AM (05 November). He said that any green taxes would have to be accommodated to the Government's overall approach to taxes and spending.
It is clear that action must be taken to tackle climate change and the Government has committed itself to the fight against global warming. However, it has not yet fully revealed its strategy and seems to consider various options. Mr Miliband mentioned the importance of increasing spending on research and development. Would that mean more support to companies that develop technologies that are consistent with the Government's overall approach? But it is often the case that governments choose the least viable candidate and commit funding to failed projects.
Simple but stern measures are necessary to take the climate change agenda forward. The huge number of lenghty documents and conultations should be enough for the Government to make up its mind. Green taxes are a straightforward solution (if not the complete solution then a great contribution towards the solution) to the complicated problem. People will change their behaviour if they face an increasing bill for their high carbon activities.
Comments
Not just simple, but equal green taxes.
That's right. And particularly important is that the cost of carbon emissions be the same, however they are produced. It is easy to pile costs onto some activities and not others and claim that you are targeting behaviour. But who are the government to judge that, for example, people are more prepared to reduce their travelling than their heating bills? Under the current system and the proposals of all three major parties, ever higher costs will be piled onto cars (and not necessarily even their use) whilst the cost of carbon emitted from our houses remains negligible. So people can afford to replace their car with one that is more energy-efficient, or change jobs so they have to do less travelling, but they can't afford to install some insulation, and turn down the thermostat, can they? Why should the government make that judgment?
High taxes on vehicle fuel are proving singularly unsuccessful at deterring people from using their cars, whereas modest increases in energy bills over the last winter produced a reduction in domestic energy consumption. So what do the government do: propose even more charges on road vehicles, and nothing to encourage further domestic savings. And the other parties sing along with them. No wonder minority parties are doing so well, when there is such a commonality of intellectual bankruptcy in the mainstream.