Recently they have rightly turned their attention to the blight of fly tipping just one element of our waste crime epidemic. Waste crime in the UK is estimated to be an industry with a £billion turnover and so the dual ability to gain much needed tax proceeds and tackle the abuse caused to our environment was thankfully too good for them to ignore.
The recently launched consultation on landfill tax changes is something that previous administrations have shied away from due to the inevitable reaction from those who presently gain from the ambiguity and ease of deception of the present system. Bringing the lower rate tax up to the standard rate tax by the trusted use of a tax escalator methodology gives time for the industry to adapt but signals clear intention that greater efforts towards extraction and introduction of investment are both necessary and will be rewarded.
These fundamental changes to landfill tax will inevitably put strain on the hard-pressed resources at the Environment Agency and HMRC as greater scrutiny and policing will be needed to prevent the potential of further fly tipping. However, with a payback rate of £5 new revenues for every £1 spent by the agencies in policing the regulations properly, then the Treasury needs to adequately fund this essential initiative by allocating ring fenced extra funds to those delivering a key element of a set of joined up regulations.