AAT calls for action on tax ahead of COP26

The Association of Accounting Technicians has called on the government to take steps to make changes to tax policy to reach the goal of net zero by 2050 ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) taking place in Glasgow this November.

In a letter to COP26 president Alok Sharma the AAT sets out a number of steps the government could take including: reforming aviation tax; reducing the use of plastic packaging; introducing a deposit return scheme (DRS) for cans and bottles by 2023; reversing the VAT increase from 5% to 20% on low-carbon items such as domestic wind turbine systems and heat pumps; and updating the sustainable development impact test proforma used by civil servants to assess policy options with a view to reducing or eliminating policies contradicting environmental objectives.

AAT head of public affairs and public policy...