Chris Sanger looks at the extent to which environmental taxes will feature in the new Conservative government’s first Budget. He considers the scale of climate change, challenges for 2020 and the potential for tax raising.
Looking at the Conservatives’ election manifesto, it is hard to predict what the first Budget under Sajid Javid will contain on environmental taxes. In line with the other main political parties, there were few direct commitments among the rhetoric. Beyond a statement on plastics packaging tax, we saw only a promise to “prioritise the environment in the next Budget, investing in the infrastructure, science and research that will deliver economic growth, not just through the 2020s, but for decades to come”.
However, dig deeper into what was said before the election and the ambition in terms of tax to deliver on environmental promises becomes clearer.