A promised tax on plastic bags, a pledge to make all new buildings zero-carbon, higher charges for flights, a crackdown on new gas-guzzling cars and a handout to less thirsty ones – Alistair Darling’s budget contained a number of conspicuous green measures yesterday, but they were not enough to satisfy environmental campaigners.
The essence of their charge was that while the new moves were welcome, the Chancellor was tinkering at the margins of environmental problems, and the Government was still not addressing fundamentally the long-term issue of how to cope with climate change. In particular, green campaigners were unhappy that Mr Darling put off an expected 2p rise in fuel duty from April until October.

“Suspending the promised increase in fuel duty has fatally undermined his boast that this is a green budget, and tinkering with taxes on planes and cars isn’t going to stop new runways and roads being built,” said the executive director of Greenpeace, John Sauven, in a comment that was echoed by other activists.

“The Chancellor should have channelled cash into clean technologies, energy efficiency projects and support for the renewables industry. On all these counts, his measures have failed to match the scale of the challenge.”…

…The main points

CONSTRUCTION

Non-domestic buildings zero-carbon by 2019

AIR TRAVEL

New flight tax to increase by 10 per cent

ROAD PRICING

New look at road pricing promised

CARS

Crackdown on new gas guzzlers

PLASTIC BAGS

Levy next year if stores do not cut back

VEHICLE TAX

No road tax initially for cleanest new cars

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