Half ‘would not pay green tax’
Despite the majority of people claiming they care about the environment, half of Britons would not be prepared to pay a “green tax”, a survey showed.
Only one in five people said they would be happy to pay more tax on air travel, while 7% of people claimed they did not care about green issues at all, according to independent financial advice website Unbiased.co.uk.
But nearly a quarter of people said they would be prepared to pay more car tax if the money was used to reduce carbon fumes on motor vehicles, although 11% said they would most resent this tax.
A further 17% of those questioned also said they would not mind paying extra tax to tackle issues closer to home, such as littering.
People aged between 25 and 34 were most open to environmental taxes, with 24% saying they would not mind being taxed on air travel, while 63% of 45 to 54 year-olds said they would not be prepared to pay extra tax on anything to help the environment.
David Elms, chief executive of Unbiased.co.uk, said: “Tackling green issues is probably high on most consumer’s wish lists, yet in reality many are not prepared to reach into their pockets to help contribute to the cause, mainly because they believe they are paying too much tax already.”