Clause 15

Part of Finance Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 3:45 pm on 10 May 2007.

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Photo of Julia Goldsworthy Julia Goldsworthy Shadow Chief Secretary To the Treasury, Treasury 3:45, 10 May 2007

I need say no more. The concern is that the council ends up locked into the decision, which has already been taken, yet the impact of the landfill tax will continue to have an effect and place pressure on council tax. There are difficulties, and I wonder whether the Financial Secretary has considered an alternative, such as a waste tax, which would encourage local authorities not only to divert from landfill, but proactively to encourage recycling. He might also consider measures to deal with packaging at the point of production, rather than work out how to deal with it at the other end. The provisions are useful for dealing with landfill, but there are limitations to what they can achieve. They can be improved, and I hope that the Minister’s mind is open to pursuing those improvements.