Will Gas Use Be Taxed in the Future?

Posted under Blog by Ruth

The government has recently announced proposals that could mean households will pay tax depending on how much gas they use.

The government, supported by the Green Fiscal Commission, stated that this would provide an important boost for low-carbon jobs in the UK, creating almost half a million of them, and could help to reduce emissions by as much as 30 percent in the next decade.

It is also believed that a tax shift could help the UK to meet its carbon emission reductions targets as a whole.

The announcement comes after the Green Fiscal Commission carried out a poll stating that the people are generally behind these plans.

Director of the Green Fiscal Commission, Paul Ekins, stated that ‘it is possible to substantially reduce emissions and create jobs’.

However, this would also mean that those struggling to pay bills as it is would be forced to take on extra measures to reduce consumption of gas. This part of the proposals has attracted some controversy, including Rebecca Atkinson, the news editor at Moneywise, saying it was ‘a bit steep to expect the public to bear the financial burden of climate change in this way’.

Many household bills rose last year, and there have only been very small drops in price since. To help with costs, Atkinson stated that there should be more education into how people can reduce the energy they use.

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