All stick, no carrot?

[boosted Ls1]

I keep hearing about the new 3000 laws labour have introduced often with penalty by on the spot fines and yet a lot seem to be dismissed by ordinary folks because they are either stupid or unenforcible, nobody left to enforce them. Now, labour want to tax us to the hilt to save the planet. I'm happy to play my part but what will they do with the extra loot? Will it be invested in cleaner power stations, wind power, solar panels or will they squander it?

Has anybody heard how they propose to spend this huge sum of money when they get it?

This country needs carrots to give us an incentive not sticks to make us rebel.

Boosted.

[jasandjules]

I believe it is to be spent paying for the TB and GB pension funds.... Along with all the other civil "servants" who are well protected thanks to the sweat of the rest of us.

[andmole]

The stick need to be sharpened and inserted in certain orifices of the politicians who came up these mind numbingly stupid ideas.

Old joke.... "How do you tell when a politician's lying? Their lips move"

Says it all really.

[james_j]

The UK only generates 2% of the worlds's CO2. Given that vehicles in the UK emit only a small % of CO2 compared with industry / coal-fired power stations and that the so-called "bad" (now disproved) 4*4s comprise only about 7% of the UK vehicle polulation, one has to think this spinmeister-generated bullsh1t is only really to raise taxes. Oh, and the private UK energy user only contributes about 20ish % of the UK's CO2 but contributes over 50% of the "pollution tax"... This government knows a cash cow when it sees one...

[herewego]

boosted Ls1 said:

I keep hearing about the new 3000 laws labour have introduced often with penalty by on the spot fines and yet a lot seem to be dismissed by ordinary folks because they are either stupid or unenforcible, nobody left to enforce them. Now, labour want to tax us to the hilt to save the planet. I'm happy to play my part but what will they do with the extra loot? Will it be invested in cleaner power stations, wind power, solar panels or will they squander it?

Has anybody heard how they propose to spend this huge sum of money when they get it?

This country needs carrots to give us an incentive not sticks to make us rebel.

Boosted.

If they do propose extra taxes, these could either raise extra revenue to be spent on carbon reducing projects or to be offset by reduction of income tax. Miliband wouldn't be drawn on tax offsets so I assume that won't happen. The correct response to tax increases is a change in behaviour to avoid the tax. In the case of road fuel tax, to achieve a change in behaviour would require a significant tax increase which I can't see happening and a small increase would be inneffective, since people would just pay it. The alternative is some kind of carbon allocation system and they are nowhere near ready with that.
If they aimed a punitive annual tax at thirsty cars it would throw up all kind of anomolies such as cars for large families and cars for towing.
Maybe there'll simply be an additional overall carbon tax that would be used to buy offsets overseas. I suspect this is the most likely because it would double up as a means to fight poverty, which is reputedly one of Gordon Brown's aims. In this case it's effect on motoring costs would be minimal.