Why didn't you say so?

I was reading a post on Mark Easton's excellent blog about how the "credit crunch" (please imagine me making giant quotation marks in the air and enacting a rather sarcastic tone) is making us think twice about conspicious consumption, when I came across this line:

"Nevertheless, the LGA estimates that local authorities in England and Wales will spend £1.8bn on landfill tax between 2008 and 2011. "Taxpayers don't want to see their money going towards paying landfill taxes and EU fines when council tax could be reduced instead", Cllr Eaton said."

That obviously makes less sense when taken out of the context of the article, but basically the amount of rubbish heading to landfill is at it's lowest level since the 90s. Maybe that's just because we're buying less stuff, but the Cllr Eaton quote about landfill tax made me think.

I've never heard from my council that putting less stuff in the bin will cost the council less, money that could at best come back to me in the form of reduced taxes (hah!) or more likely, go somewhere else more useful.

But serial, councils could engage their residents more if they promised to lower their taxes on the condition that residents met certain targets. In Norway, you only pay toll until enough money has been collected to cover the cost of the bridge and then it becomes free. We are distrustful of our government and councils because they tax us for speific reasons but it feels like the don't reduce them once the tasks are completed. In the case of the government I guess they always have something else that needs cash, but are the GLA ever going to have to raise money for something as big as the Olympics? Don't you think that Londoners would feel better if, after the village is built, they see a reduction in their council tax to say thank you for paying towards this event? We can but dream.

Comments

[Helen-LG]

Good point, particular with landfill - surely this should be the carrot for recycling, the more you recycle the less landfill tax you have to pay... It's not how it works but it would be nice if it was, wouldn't it?!

Actually I'm a tad annoyed now, having realised that some councils are considering charging those who don't recycle enough - you're already charging them with landfill tax, either make that system fairer and tax everyone by usage or .. ok, I'm going to take my soapbox to Speaker's Corner!

[Pasty Muncher]

I read that article by Mark Easton too - he has a wonderful way of intelligently spilling the beans. Funnily I met him in Cornwall the other day and it turns out we both enjoy a pasty!

[funny Questions]

i do not agree That obviously makes less sense when taken out of the context of the article, but basically the amount of rubbish heading to landfill is at it's lowest level since the 90s. Maybe that's just because we're buying less stuff, but the Cllr Eaton quote about landfill tax made me think.