Builders told to make all new homes 'carbon-zero' (UK)

[jpak]

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1968773,00.html

One of Gordon Brown's closest cabinet allies will this week hit back at scathing green criticism of his latest Budget proposals by unveiling plans to force British builders to make all new homes 'carbon-zero' within a decade, with a star rating for the best-built 'green homes'.

The ambitious target, set by the Chancellor in his pre-Budget report to parliament last Wednesday, was derided as wildly unrealistic by environmental groups. They also claimed that his planned increase in petrol tax and air passenger duty would have only a minor impact on the country's carbon emissions.

The criticism was particularly damaging because the Tory leader, David Cameron, has used his first year to place environmental issues at the top of his party's policy agenda.

The Communities Minister, Ruth Kelly, will tomorrow use her first major speech on environmental issues to lay out a 'timetable' to meet Brown's target and make Britain the first country in the world to ensure that new homes emit no more carbon than they use.

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[sweetheart]

1. what for the PR

Brown has done nothing for the 'existing' housing stock much of which is in terrible state by
first world standards. There is a tax perk for new builds as they are exempted from VAT,
whilst home improvements, the sort of remodelling it takes to make an existing house green,
these are not tax exempted... so the vast majority of middle class people just get a lot of
hot air, and some additional taxes.

Who gets more taxed by Mr. Brown... His taxes are to repress human movement, taxes on the
people who in country who have to get around, all based on the new bugbear of carbon neutrality
as a new social engineering to squeeze the middle classes. The taxes are regressive for a labour
man, it's keeping with what i expect from Mr. Brown.. sadly, i wasn't expecting much, and he
delivered.