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31Aug/100

Consider The Environmental Benefits Of The UK VAT Reduction To 5%

As the report by the Industry Task force For Peak Oil and Energy Security has pronounced, within five years The UK faces oil scarcity. But, the sluggish efforts of the Government reveal it is not ready for the prognosis. Our habit patterns need changing. The VAT reduction to 5 percent already available to professional installation; but, excluding nonprofessional installation should be changed. The environmental benefits of the UK government reducing VAT on all insulation work to five percent would benefit all excluded potential beneficiaries.

One group left out is the householder. Yet, under the credit crunch and falling market price of houses era we face, householders are likely to go the do it yourself route. Not surprising the Construction Products Association has seen the light and said it supports the extension of the reduced rate to those who decide to do renovations this way.

The thermal insulation market has already shown its responsiveness to favorable regulation and a rise in energy prices. By extrapolation, an extension of the 5 percent rate would lead to a further boom. In fact, a trial has already demonstrated the practical potential of this theory. The consequent loss in CO2 emissions would be environmentally beneficial.

The Construction Products Association has stated that many householders are capable of installing insulation themselves and yet they are paying the full rate of VAT on a product the Government must want to encourage them to buy. It is known that buildings are the largest single energy-using sector, accounting for 40 percent of energy consumption in Europe. Insulation is a highly cost-effective end-useful measure in reducing the emissions of green house gas emissions.

It should be pointed out here a reduced VAT rate on insulation products may not be passed through by installers to their end customer. This has been assumed to be a reason why the use in the UK market has been low. When the householder is the installer this is not a factor; but, the higher VAT rate serves as a discouragement.

The results of the Isle of Man pilot study for EU on the impact of a reduced VAT rate led to improvements to the existing housing stock and reduced pressure on green field site developments. The tax intake increased and the Isle of Man Government concluded the experiment had been a fiscal success. This experiment led the Council of European Finance Ministers to decide that it would allow EU Member States to permanently reduce VAT to 5 percent from the 10th of March 2009. Yet, UU has only extended this reduction in a limited fashion. There is room for reduction of VAT to 5 percent on all insulation work. Even that done by homeowners and any other segment left out so far. Consumers would receive a clear Indication from the Government the tax system supports their part in helping the environment. This step would be an important act towards achieving and encouraging sustainable consumption patterns. This reduced VAT rate should be allowed on goods where the nature of the product is key to its beneficial environmental impact. Insulation leads to a beneficial environmental impact by the reduction of resource use.

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categories: Business,taxes,insulation,environment,construction,manufacturing,real estate,property investment,home,improvement,windows,office,house,home

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