IEMA has been gathering members' views on the Treasury's energy efficiency tax review.
After the chancellor's budget announcement to hold a review into the business energy efficiency tax landscape, the government has been seeking evidence from businesses and stakeholders through a cross-departmental consultation.
The consultation document sets out what are described as "policy proposals to simplify and improve the effectiveness of the landscape in supporting the government's objectives around simplicity, productivity, security of energy supplies and decarbonisation".
The review is significant and could, for example, lead to the closure of the CRC scheme and wider changes affecting a range of policies, including mandatory GHG reporting, climate change agreements, the climate change levy and ESOS.
In August, a group of IEMA members met officials from Decc and the Treasury to discuss the review and the need for a lasting and effective policy landscape - one that will be durable and less prone to frequent review and change. IEMA input highlighted the important role of policy drivers such as mandatory GHG reporting, the contribution made by the CRC and the imperative for fiscal drivers that provide certainty and medium-term confidence for businesses - so that members can more effectively and confidently plan for business case investments in energy and carbon reduction.
IEMA has run workshops with members in London, Edinburgh and Lincoln to review the consultation document and to inform the institute's response. IEMA also hosted a webinar about the review on 30 October, which included a presentation by Decc on the proposals. This is an important consultation for IEMA members and a high response from businesses to support effective and lasting policies could be particularly influential. The consultation runs until 11.45am on 9 November and the document can be accessed at bit.ly/1LiP9vw.
