§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate how much annual revenue would be raised from a tax on the incineration of municipal waste at £35 per tonne for(a) all existing municipal waste incinerators and (b) all municipal waste incinerators for which planning applications have been made. [125128]
§ John HealeyGiven current levels of waste disposed of by incineration, a tax on the incineration of municipal waste of £35 per tonne would be expected to raise about £90 million per annum. However, it is unlikely that this level of revenue would be generated, as a tax on incineration at such a rate would be expected to lead to more waste going to alternatives such as landfill. The current level of landfill tax is £14 per tonne rising to £15 next year, and will be increased by at least £3 per tonne each year from 2005–06 until it reaches a rate of £35 per tonne in the medium to long term. These increases will help encourage reductions in the quantities of waste disposed of to landfill. No estimate has been made of the projected levels of incineration which would result from the building of all municipal waste incinerators for which planning applications have been made.
§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions his Department has held with representatives of local government on the potential for an incineration tax to support the waste hierarchy; and if he will make a statement. [126158]
§ John HealeyThe Government have had discussions with representatives of Local Government on a range of waste related issues, including incineration. The Government have also commissioned a review of the212W environmental and health effects of all waste management and disposal options and aims to report on the findings later in the year.