Environmental Taxes Handbook

Aspect of the negative impact of human activities upon the environment hits the headlines on an almost daily basis. While differences remain between the major industrialized nations over the steps which should be taken to reduce that impact, many European countries, including the UK, have introduced rules to their tax systems to penalize those activities likely to cause most environmental damage, and have introduced tax incentives to reduce detrimental environmental impact. Businesses which are involved in any activity identified by the law as attracting an environmental tax penalty will need to know what their liabilities and obligations are. Equally, businesses eligible for environmental tax incentives will want to be in a position to claim their full entitlement to allowances. This book covers the UK "penalty" taxes - namely landfill tax, climate change levy, and the aggregates levy - as well as the topical issue of the EU emissions trading scheme and the system which allows companies a tax deduction for the costs of cleaning up contaminated land. The book also deals with the tax incentives, such as special benefit rules for cars with low CO2 emissions and tax incentives to encourage staff to cycle to work. The book provides a comprehensive guide to the current range of UK environmental taxes and incentives aimed at businesses potentially affected by them.