LibDems take "green tax" message to the streets of Westminster

11.26.44am GMT Sun 5th Nov 2006

LibDems are pushing policy ideas that will tackle climate change

The last weekend of October saw Liberal Democrats pounding the streets of Westminster speaking with local people about the party's Green Tax Switch - the idea that we should tax pollution, not people.

The radical Liberal Democrat tax plan would slice 2p off the basic rate of income tax and take two million people of the poorest people out of income tax altogether. This would be paid for by upping taxes on polluting activities like air travel and driving gas-guzzling vehicles. By placing the decision making in the hands of the public, the Green Tax Switch would give everyone the opportunity to choose either to pollute and pay, or save the planet and save money.

Local Liberal Democrat Neville Farmer was one of those handing out leaflets and talking to locals about the effects of the Green Tax Switch. He said, "At first, people tried to avoid someone handing out leaflets, but when they saw what it was about they became more interested."

He continued, "They seemed genuinely pleased that at last there was a political party prepared to take action rather than just producing hot air."

The Green Tax Switch was launched and voted for by an overwhelming majority of party members at the LibDem party conference in Brighton in September. "This is in stark contrast," Neville noted, "to the other major parties, which made no such decisions at their conferences. What is clear is that we all need to make major changes in our lifestyles - and that includes the people who govern us. If the other parties cannot come up with the policies that will protect us, why on earth will people think they should be the ones to govern us?"