Carmichael – “Government must abandon any plans for tax levy on heating oil and LPG” (East Renfrewshire Liberal Democrats)

East Renfrewshire Liberal Democrats <info@eastrenfrewshirelibdems.org.uk>

Carmichael – “Government must abandon any plans for tax levy on heating oil and LPG”

August 28, 2009 4:04 PM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael has called on the government to abandon any future plans to impose a tax levy on families using domestic heating oil or liquid petroleum gas.

The government's has proposed in its Renewable Energy Strategy (RES) that incentives to move more households towards renewable energy will be funded by a levy on suppliers of coal, heating oil and LPG. When questioned on the matter in the House of Common last month, Department of Energy and Climate Change Minister David Kidney MP refused to rule out imposing the charge on fuel bills and confirmed the suggestion will be included in a DECC consultation to be launched later this summer.

Commenting, Mr Carmichael said;

"This has all the hallmarks of an essentially sound idea being ruined by a government which is determined to apply rules without exception. A levy of this sort would be ludicrous for the Northern Isles and indeed for much of Scotland.

"It is fairly well established that we have long dark and cold winters. We also have a fairly low wage economy. As a consequence of that we already have a high level of fuel poverty. If the government were to proceed with a levy of this sort then that is a situation which would only get worse. They simply do not seem to have taken account of the limited range of heating options that there are for people in communities like ours."