The 2004 Pre-budget Report
The 2004 Pre-budget Report

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Treasury Committee

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 150

ISBN-13: 9780215021441

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The Committee has examined the Treasury's Pre-Budget Report (PBR) (Cm. 6408, ISBN 010164082X) published in December 2004, which set forecasts for the economy and public finances and reported on the implementation of the Government's long-term goals. Conclusions reached by the Committee include: that the UK's presidencies in 2005 of both the G8 and the EU puts the Government in a strong position to play a positive role in advancing discussions on global economic reform and fairer trade with developing countries; the Treasury's growth forecast for 2005 is more optimistic than the external consensus, although the gap probably lies within the bounds of forecasting error and the Treasury's recent forecasting record for economic growth has been good; there are concerns that it is unlikely the Treasury will be able to meet its 'golden rule' for current borrowing levels for public finances. The Committee also restates its previous criticism for the short period of notice given for publication of the PBR.

Pre-budget Report 2004 and Budget 2005
Pre-budget Report 2004 and Budget 2005

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environmental Audit Committee

Publisher:

Published: 2005-04-13

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 9780215024336

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The Committee's report examines the measures in the latest Pre-Budget report (Cm 6408, ISBN 010164082X) and 2005 Budget (HCP 372, session 2004-05, ISBN 0102932484) in relation to environmental objectives, as well as more generally the Government's progress on environmental tax reform and spending. It also examines the increasing use of Regulatory Impact Assessments as the central mechanism for assessing costs and benefits of legislation, including environmental impacts; and summarises key energy policy issues in the context of the Climate Change Programme review currently being undertaken. Conclusions drawn include concern that it has taken so long for the Government to acknowledge its Climate Change strategy is off course, and that the difficulties encountered in reducing emissions reflect the need for a far greater priority to be given to mainstreaming environmental objectives. The Committee recommends that the Government should establish a Cabinet Committee for Climate Change to drive forward action and to draw together responsibility for energy policy in one department.

The 2005 Pre-budget Report
The 2005 Pre-budget Report

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Treasury Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-03-30

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 9780215028242

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Reply to 2nd report (HCP 739, ISBN 0215027078).

Budget 2005
Budget 2005

Author: Great Britain. Treasury

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 9780102932485

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The Budget presents an updated assessment of the economy and public finances and reports on Government policies. It: shows that the economy is growing strongly and the Government is meeting its fiscal rules; announces a long-term investment programme for schools and sets out further measures to help young people develop skills; sets out reform to reduce the regulatory burden on business; announces free local travel for people over 60 and provide £200 towards the council tax bill for those over 65; makes a commitment to increase Child Tax Credit in line with earnings; doubles the threshold for stamp duty; increases the special reserve for military operations; announces a better targeted Local Enterprise Growth Initiative; introduces measures to modernise the tax system; defers any increase in fuel duty until September 2005.

The 2005 Pre-budget Report
The 2005 Pre-budget Report

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Commons: Treasury Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006-01-25

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 0215027078

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The Committee's report examines the Government's Pre-Budget Report 2005 (Cm. 6701, ISBN 0101670125) published in December 2005. Issues discussed include: the state of the economy (including the UK Presidency of the G8, UK economic growth estimates for 2006 and beyond, and consumer spending) and public finance matters; as well as issues relating to taxation and pensions. Recommendations made include that the Treasury should give at least four weeks notice of the date of the Pre-Budget Report in order to enable sufficient parliamentary scrutiny, and if this target is not met, the Treasury should give an account of the reasons why.

Pre-budget 2005
Pre-budget 2005

Author: Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environmental Audit Committee

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 0215028031

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The Committee reports on the progress made by the Treasury in placing environmental objectives at the heart of its fiscal policies. This year's pre-Budget report (Cm. 6701, December 2005, ISBN 0101670125) is found to be inadequate, especially in the context of UK CO2 emissions actually increasing once more. No significant new measures were announced, and the Committee sees a continued slowing down of the Treasury's momentum in turning rhetoric into action. It believes the Treasury should redefine Air Passenger Duty (APD) as an environmental tax and that APD rates should more accurately reflect the carbon emissions of the flights to which they apply. Charging APD on flights rather than passengers could also act as an incentive to more efficient use of aviation fuel. The Committee also recommends action on aviation fuel duty, biofuels, car energy efficiency, steps to wean the economy off over-reliance on oil, stamp duty and council tax reductions for homes built or refurbished to high environmental standards. Each pre-Budget report should include figures on total revenue from the climate change levy, aggregates levy, and landfill tax. Although the Treasury accepts the principle of increasing taxes on "bads" rather than "goods" its reluctance for bold reform of the tax system mystifies the Committee. A Green tax Commission should be reconsidered, to develop a proper communications strategy to sell the environmental programme to the public. The Committee exhorts the Government to make moves on the climate change problem, as waiting for universal agreement is a recipe for stasis. Finally, the Committee regrets the Treasury's decision to abolish the Operating and Financial Review required from large companies, in that it appears to view sustainable reporting as an optional extra. It hopes that the proposed new business reviews will continue to require some form of social and environmental disclosure from companies.

The Barnett formula
The Barnett formula

Author: Great Britain: Parliament: House of Lords: Select Committee on the Barnett Formula

Publisher: The Stationery Office

Published: 2009-07-17

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 9780108444654

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The Barnett Formula is the mechanism used by the United Kingdom Government to allocate more than half of total public expenditure in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Formula has been used for the last thirty years to determine the annual increase in allocation (the increment). Each year these increments are added on to the previous year's allocation (the baseline) to create what is now a significant block grant of funds. The Formula accounted for almost £49 billion of public spending in 2007-08. Despite the political changes within the United Kingdom the Formula has continued to be used and has never been reviewed or revised. The Formula was only intended to be a short term measure and should no longer be. A UK Funding Commission should be established to assess relative need in the UK's regions and advise on a new method of distributing funding to reflect those needs. The baseline has never been reviewed to take account of changing population patterns; this means that the grant provides funds without reference to the needs of each of the countries and regions of the UK. There should be a link between the grant of funds made to each of the administrations and their actual per capita funding needs. The Committee's research suggests that England and Scotland have markedly lower overall needs per head of population than Wales and Northern Ireland. The Committee suggest that the UK Funding Commission undertake an assessment of relative need now and in the future and that they undertake periodic reviews as well as publish annual data about the allocation of funding between the devolved administrations.

A Comparative History of Motor Fuels Taxation, 1909–2009
A Comparative History of Motor Fuels Taxation, 1909–2009

Author: Carl-Henry Geschwind

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2017-05-09

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1498553818

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Slowing down global warming is one of the most critical problems facing the world’s policymakers today. One favored solution is to regulate carbon consumption through taxation, including the taxation of gasoline. Yet gasoline tax levels are much lower in the United States than elsewhere. Why is this so, and what does it tell us about the prospects for taxing carbon here? A Comparative History of Motor Fuels Taxation, 1909–2009: Why Gasoline Is Cheap and Petrol Is Dear examines these questions by tracing the evolution of gasoline tax policies in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand since the early twentieth century. In the process, it highlights the crucial role played by fiscal crises.