Dundee Liberal Democrats condemn Tory and Labour failure to support Green Tax Switch

8.56.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 25th Oct 2006

Raymond Lawrie condemns Tory and Labour failure to support Green Tax Switch

Last week's failure of the Tory and Labour parties to support a Liberal Democrat parliamentary motion calling for a greener tax system has been condemned by Dundee LibDem local party Convener Raymond Lawrie.

The day motion called on the Government "to increase green taxes on new high-emission cars and on aviation while using revenue generated to cut direct taxes, particularly on low earners, so that there is no overall rise in the burden of taxation."

Raymond said today (Wednesday 25th October), "This debate was a great opportunity for the other parties to publicly commit to the principle of effective green taxes. Unfortunately the LibDem motion was opposed by Labour MPs whilst Conservative MPs abstained - clearly showing that neither party has anything to offer on environmental issues."

"We would expect the government to oppose the motion Labour has such a poor record on environmental issues," Raymond continued.

"David Cameron is making great claims for his party's environmental credentials but has not put forward a specific policy on any environmental issue. The Tories' failure to support the Green Tax Switch shows how unprincipled they are."

"It is vital that Liberal Democrats continue to press the case for practical proposals to change our behaviour, benefiting those who change the most and making our society more sustainable," Raymond concluded.

Related Link:

House of Commons - Debate on Green Taxes (Liberal Democrat Opposition Day).