Lib Dems in the Chippenham Constituency Back Green Tax Plans

4.38.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 31st Aug 2007

Duncan Hames and Liberal Democrats in Chippenham, Bradford-on-Avon, Corsham and Melksham have welcomed plans that will make Britain a zero carbon country by the middle of the century.

The plans will be debated by Liberal Democrats at the party's conference in Brighton on 17th September. Members from Chippenham constituency will be going to the conference to back the proposals.

Duncan Hames, the Prospective MP said, "Liberal Democrats have long argued that we have to tackle the problem of pollution and damage to the planet. The proposals put forward by Sir Menzies Campbell that we will debate at conference will mean that by the middle of this century, Britain will be a zero carbon country.

"That will mean that we will be producing overall no extra carbon dioxide, the main polluting gas that is leading to global climate change.

"Liberal Democrats have made the environment the main feature of our conference later this month. Going green means changing for the better many of our activities. And it means the Government changing policies as well. Under Labour for example, Gordon Brown has cut the tax burden on pollution, whilst putting up the tax burden on people.

"This means that under Gordon Brown it has become cheaper to pollute. I strongly believe that people in Wiltshire will benefit from the Lib Dems' green tax switch. At our conference we will debate plans to switch the tax burden from people to pollution.

"We will cut national income tax and scrap council tax. To pay for this, we will increase green taxes on the most polluting activities. For example, we will increase the taxes on the most gas-guzzling cars and on aircraft.

"Liberal Democrats Wiltshire are looking forward to conference. We will be meeting Chris Huhne MP, our Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, and we will be discussing with him how we believe this area will benefit from the Lib Dem's green plans."