Second sitting of the Finance Bill debate

Most of the second sitting of the public bill committee was devoted to the new plastic packaging tax – indeed this takes up more than 40 clauses (clause 42 to clause 85) and seven schedules (nine to 15) of the Finance Bill.

Introducing the measure exchequer secretary to the Treasury Kemi Badenoch said the government was ‘deeply committed to greening our economy and being the greenest government ever’. The tax on plastic packaging was a key part of its strategy.

Planned to take effect from April 2022 the tax will apply to the manufacture and import of plastic packaging that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic. The charge will arise on unfilled packaging manufactured in the UK and to unfilled or filled packaging imported into the UK. Ms Badenoch said the inclusion of imported filled packaging in the regime would ‘prevent any potential disadvantage...