Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth - News

Budget Weakens Climate Action  14th July 2015

The Conservative government’s retreat from effective action to tackle climate change continued in the budget.
•    Electricity from renewable sources will no longer be exempt from the Climate Change Levy, a tax on energy use paid by businesses. This could wipe 6% off the income for onshore windfarms and make some planned projects unviable.
•    There will be an expansion of tax relief for oil and gas exploration.
•    Vehicle excise duty, from 2017, will increase for low emission cars and decrease for those with the highest emissions. For instance, a Toyota Prius hybrid could see road tax increase from £10 in the first year to £140. A Land Rover Freelander would see its first year rate fall from £800 to £140.
•    Fuel duty will remain frozen, breaking a previous government pledge that it would rise if oil prices remained below $75 a barrel.
•    Money raised from vehicle excise duty will go into a road building fund, which can be expected to increase car use, rather than into better public transport or cycling.