Green tax hike: cost of gas and petrol could rise to fight climate change | United Kingdom | New UK News

The government is considering a radical new carbon emissions reduction program to reduce emissions. This could lead to big increases in what families pay for heat and transportation, it is estimated.

Boris Johnson has pledged the UK to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, with the aim of limiting ecological damage.

According to a government estimate, seen by The Times, the average price of gas could rise from £ 80 to £ 170 under the new proposals.

The annual cost of running a petrol car would increase by £ 30 to £ 100.

The combined families could face additional bills of up to £ 270 per year due to the carbon reduction program.

Currently, the average family spends £ 550 a year on gas.

According to the proposals, companies, including oil and gas companies, will be required to purchase permits if they release greenhouse gases.

This should be passed on to consumers through price increases.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak wants the measures to take effect at the end of next year, but others are pushing for 2023.

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Jill Duggan, Environmental Defense Fund Europe, welcomed the carbon pricing proposal.

She told The Times: “Depending on how the system is set up, it has an incentive effect and also has the advantage of flexibility.

“This is the kind of policy that we will need if we are to maintain our net zero ambitions.”

However, Joshua Burke, a policy researcher at the London School of Economics, suggested the move would fall short of the government’s goal.

He said, “We really need to look at all of the taxes in the economy and complete tax reform if we are to achieve net zero.

“Carbon pricing may be part of it, but we shouldn’t see it in isolation. “

However, Conservative MP Steve Baker said the government needs to explain exactly what its environmental goals are.

He told Politico: “My fear is that we end up with the same kind of problem that we had with the EU.

“It was the political elites who all agreed that this is what we should be doing and did not pull the public with them in making it clear what this is going to mean in people’s lives.”

Joe Biden re-committed the United States to the Paris climate agreement immediately after becoming president in January.