Bin tax proposals still alive and kicking

Turns out this blog was right to be sceptical about the news that the proposed bin tax was to be shelved.

The charge hasn't been shelved after all. It has reappeared in the Climate Change Bill, which gives local authorities the power to levy the charge.

This means that the Government will be able to distance itself if or when a local authority actually introduces the charge. The Government can claim that the decision to levy the charge was an 'independent' one made by that council.

But will it really be an 'independent' decision? A squeeze on local authority funding by the Government could very well lead to a local council introducing the charge. I wouldn't call that an 'independent' decision by the council.

So forget last week's spin by the Government. The threat of bin taxes still remains.