The Live Wire



Press Release

NEW GOVERNMENT PUSH ON RENEWABLE ENERGY BUT BUSINESSES STILL TAXED ON RENEWABLE SYSTEMS

23 January 2006

As the Government begins the latest stage of its energy review, restarting the public debate on future power supplies, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) yet again urges Ministers to reconsider the policy of taxing renewable energy systems. Currently, retailers looking to do their bit on climate change by investing in carbon-free renewables are hit with increased business rates.

While the Government is asking businesses to invest in renewables and do more towards achieving the Government's 2010 target on renewable energy generation, the ODPM has refused to exempt carbon- free renewable energy systems (such as wind turbines and solar panels) from business rates. However, Combined Heat and Power systems, which still emit carbon, are exempt.

Currently, investing in renewable energy systems is an unattractive and costly option and for many retailers, an impossible one. Instead, it is more cost effective for retailers to source their energy needs from the National Grid.

Kevin Hawkins, BRC Director General said: “It is clearly anomalous for the Government to exempt plants that emit carbon from valuation but to continue to rate entirely carbon-free renewable plants. The exemption should be extended to also cover renewable energy systems.

“The retail sector wants to play its part and could even take the lead in adopting renewable energy systems, but leading UK retailers, who look to reduce their carbon emissions by investing in these systems, are getting taxed - this is hardly an incentive. Retail investment in renewables must be encouraged by consistent policy support from Government.

“We have written to the Government to urge them to reconsider - this is a common sense approach and one that could go some way to helping Government achieve its target.”



Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to Central Lobby. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the Central Lobby service.

As such, Central Lobby does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.

British Retail Consortium

More from Dods

© Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd