Clause 13
Finance Bill
10:15 am
Jeremy Browne (Shadow Chief Secretary To the Treasury, Treasury; Taunton, Liberal Democrat)
Wait a second. I sympathise with you, Sir Nicholas, in trying to do your job and manage our proceedings.
I shall first deal with the intervention by the hon. Member for Wellingborough. One of the main reasons why there is public concern about environmental taxation is that there is a suspicion—justified, in my view—that the primary motivation is raising revenue, rather than trying to benefit the environment. I am keen that environmental taxes should be offset by reductions in taxation elsewhere. That means people will be disincentivised to use their cars, for example, but I hope that as a result they will be incentivised to do other things, including working harder.