Since Gordon Brown has been Chancellor green taxes have fallen from 9.3% to 8.3% of total UK taxation. He also talked of the threat to our planet from climate change at the recent Labour Conference but failed to say what he would do about it, so Brown isn't green.
'Dave' Cameron's NuTories the next large election his party faces is for the Scottish Parliament but looking up tax on their site brings not one mention of any plans for green taxation. Considering this is the time that the parties are starting to get thier points across for next may surely he needs to get his party talking about it, even if the policies are looking like being in place in the next century.
As for Alex Salmond's SNP they very publically slated the Liberal Democrat's tax proposals as soon as these were passed last month. Not recognising that the full proposals were redistributive and even the green taxes are not going to affect thepoor adversily.
Some people would argue that surely the Green party have addressed the issue of green taxation. They may well of but they do not seem prepared to tell people what they have planned. Indeed all they had to say in last years manifesto about taxation was:
The Greens will implement a tax system to encourage environmental sustainability and the reduction of material inequality. This will deliver real economic security. Taxation can and should be used to discourage social and environmental harm and promote equity between individuals.
Sadly this is like David Cameron lovely rhetoric but lacking in substantive ideas in how to implement it.
Therefore at present the 57% of the people of Scotland who support green taxes really only have one party that is prepared to say honestly what it is seeking to do, aiming to implement and prepared to stand for and that is the Liberal Democrats.
Therefore
If this is the poll Polling Report was talking about on this issue, then be careful, there's likely to be a certain amount of "I don't want to look bad"-ness in the result. :(
ReplyDeleteBut it is of course a good headline and is promoting a good policy :)