10th October 2007

Pre-Budget report fails on tackling climate change - see Green party comment

Cllr Philip Booth, Coordinator of the Green party District Council group in Stroud responded to the Chancellor's Pre-budget report and Comprehensive Spending Review, saying: "Darling's decision to raise the threshold on inheritance tax means more money will stay circulating within rich families than ever before - a regressive move. With 1 in 3 children in the UK growing up in poverty, this is grossly unjust. The Green Party wants to see inheritance tax levied in a fairer way - paid by beneficiaries rather than the estates themselves."

Philip Booth added: "On aviation, the Chancellor's plans to tax flights and scrap air passenger duty will not achieve nearly as much as actually taxing aviation fuel. The Green Party wants the polluter pays principle and an end to the £9 billion pound subsidy currently enjoyed by the UK's fastest growing source of our emissions - the aviation industry. While increasing the transport budget for yet more money on road widening is madness. The government is already spending £21 million pounds a mile on expanding the M1 - it is public transport not motorways that needs more money."

Philip Booth said: "The Chancellor's plans will do nothing to curb our emissions - this pre-budget report backs away from tackling climate change. Health spending should be a priority: investment in the NHS should not suffer from a downturn in the economy. Funds gained from defence cuts, especially Trident, would allow us to increase long term health spending at a much higher level than Darling's 4 per cent."