Are UK green policies actually working?
While there have been many new green policies introduced to the UK, one which has caught the eye has been a reduction in plastic shopping bags around the UK. However, while official government statistics show that 48% fewer bags are being used today compared to last year, Tesco came out with a figure of 50% which appeared to have gazumped everybody else.
However, it now looks as though Tesco calculated its own figures using a different formulae than the government with a suggestion the actual reduction in plastic shopping bags is significantly less than the 50% quoted by the supermarket giant. While the company has refused to release the actual figures, calculated in line with the UK government's figures, this has prompted many people to re-evaluate the success of so-called green policies.
The announcement of any green policy seems to attract a further cost to the UK taxpayer, further income for the UK government and a more expensive cost of living. However, as we have mentioned on numerous occasions there is no ring fencing of so-called "green taxes" so effectively the money you pay to help the environment could end up anywhere in the UK government budget. Even though there is no doubt that success has been achieved with regards to various green issues this has come at a massive cost to the UK taxpayer.
However, are UK taxpayers really paying for the anti-green policies of governments in the past?
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