Green Switch campaign gets local backing

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 5th Oct 2006

You can add your support for the campaign at www.greentaxswitch.com

Selly Oak Liberal Democrats have given their support to the party's plans for a massive shift of taxation from income to carbon use. The average family would pay around £1,000 a year less in income tax, while "green taxes" would encourage the kind of changes we need in order to avert climate chaos resulting from global warming.

Selly Oak Councillor Robert Wright, whose vote at the recent party conference helped to get the new policy adopted, explained that there would be no increase in the level of tax overall. "We should be taxing good things - such as income - less, and taxing bad things - such as pollution - more."

The party's proposals would see about 2 million people lifted out of paying income tax altogether, and almost all low and middle income earners would pay less income tax.

At the same time, there would be increased Vehicle Excise Duty on larger, high-emission cars. Aviation would also be subject to higher taxes, with the aim of reflecting the true environmental cost of flights.

Related Links:

Robert Wright has posted some practical tips on reducing carbon dioxide emissions on his blog.

Green Tax Switch Campaign website.