The Budget 07/08: The Environment.
The key alteration in policy pertaining to the environment lies in removes to the fuel escalator that leaves those in possession of less economical vehicles playing higher levels of tax than previously. Other than this, however, the Budget wasn’t all too environmentally minded.
Whilst the urgency of climate change requires bold moves by all nations, anything too strong that may fiscally impact upon the voting public will leave a negative impression upon the ballot box. This could be one of the underlying reasons why brown hasn’t made any large green statements in this budget, instead focussing on one headline-grabbing policy.
No budget that wishes to be green can ignore the growing problem of cheap and easily accessible aviation and the impacts its fast growth will have upon the climate in coming decades. Unfortunately, whilst not taxing the industry, they have set about pushing forward its expansion*.
With the cost of motoring in continual decline, the new road tax pricing is certainly welcome, but a move of aviation should definitely have been included.
The only other environmental concession seems to be with regard to microgeneration, which has seen a 50 per cent increase in funding for the Low Carbon Building Fund translates into an increase from £6m to £9m. This really isn’t a great deal in the scheme of things. Though it is a 50 per cent boost in funding, it has been analysed to only equate to support from an extra 125 people per month.
This latter change sums up the entire budget in terms of environmental issues: good, but certainly not great.
* Three new runways at Stansted; Short runway at Heathrow; New runway at Birmingham or East Midlands; Two runway airport between Coventry and Rugby; Major new terminal at Manchester; Possible expansion of Bristol airport; Expansion of Cardiff airport; New runway in Scotland by 2030; No expansion at Gatwick before 2019; Option of new airport at Cliffe, in north Kent; Possible expansion of Luton; Freight airport at Alconbury.
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