10 September 2007
The Conservatives are to announce plans to reduce energy inefficiency and wasted with a wide ranging set of green policies. The 800 page report, to be published on Thursday, comes from a policy review group led by by former Environment Secretary John Gummer and green activist Zac Goldsmith.
The report targets businesses and domestic customers covering a wide range of green energy proposals. Consumers who buy 4x 4 "gas guzzlers" could be hit with a graded car tax costing up to £2,000. The report also targets white goods including fridges and freezers, personal computers and DVD players that are deemed to use too much energy. Electrical goods such as plasma screen that use limits on energy use could be banned from sale. The report is also believed to propose measures for manufacturers, who would have to fit TVs and similar equipment with time control devices, to reduce the need for standby functions.
There is a proposed doubling of landfill tax for business and new requirements on supermarkets to take back unnecessarily wasteful packaging, including plastic bags. Overall the report has created a huge range of taxes, regulations and incentives that will see a net increase in green taxes.
Speaking to BBC1's Sunday AM programme, Mr Goldsmith stated: "The principal focus is on energy. We can achieve massive reductions from very little investment, and from the homeowners' point of view that does pretty quickly lead to savings on your bills."
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