HC Deb 12 February 2004 vol 417 c1552W
Bob Spink

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to bring forward proposals for a carbon tax to replace existing levies. [154226]

John Healey

The Government believe the Climate Change Levy is an effective way of encouraging reductions in the use of energy and is an important policy in our climate change programme and therefore we have no plans to introduce a carbon-based tax. The EU emissions trading scheme, a tradable permit scheme that creates a market in carbon, will be introduced from 2005. Decisions on taxation policy are announced by the Chancellor in the context of his annual Budget statement.