Brown's Budget: Complacent In A Moment Of Crisis

Brown Is Gambling With The Climate

21st March - Councillor Rupert Read, from Norwich Green Party, today responded to Brown's last budget, deeming it a governmental failure to play its part in preventing climate catastophe: "It is not prudent to gamble with the climate - Brown's failure to act now on tackling dangerous climate change means we will pay later, as his own Stern review has shown.

After 6 months of rhetoric on dangerous climate change, there is a shocking absence of substance in this budget. Brown is being complacent in a moment of crisis.

Brown needs a new golden rule - carbon cutting."

Councillor Read went on to criticise the specific measures and targets outlined in the budget with regard to the environment:

"An additional 50 per cent for green grants for homes equates to just £6 million - peanuts.

A 30% increase for top band vehicles to £300 this year and £400 next year flies in the face of the govenement's own research about the price difference required to change behaviour.

We would need to see a rise to at least £1800 tax for the worst gas guzzlers to ensure people but greener cars. But that would be unfair to those on lower incomes who are at present dependent on their cars, as a result of the government's chronic failure to invest in sustainable/public transport measures. So what is actually needed is not the blunt instrument of higher taxes, but the much more subtle instrument of 'carbon rationing', a policy that only the Green Party is signed up to. Carbon rationing would enable emissions to be reduced in a scientifically-effective and fair way.

Exempting zero carbon homes from stamp duty sounds good but means little - it will not incentivise installation of micro generation and insulation measures.

If he had raised fuel duty by 19p that would have cut carbon more than the rest of this budget put together - some 19 million tonnes over the next year. Or better still, once more, carbon rationing would do the trick, in a more equitable fashion.

Brown was right to reject VAT on domestic flights as having limited impact. But he has copped out -- once again, by failing to legislate to bring in carbon rationing. Carbon rationing would massively disincentivise flying, especially frequent-flying.

Cutting corporation tax is another step towards reducing the tax burden on big business - a step in precisely the wrong direction, if we are serious about reining in globalisation and stopping dangerous climate change. We need to be supporting small, local businesses, instead."