Waste Charges - A Poll Tax on Younger, Poorer Families
The Times today (page 1) refers to some early conclusions of the Lyons Review on Local Government Finance and the idea of additional waste charges.
I think it is the wrong approach and there are better ways to encourage recycling.
It is wrong because the largest waste generating households are inevitably those with young families. In an affluent borough like Sutton the youngest populations live in St Helier and on Roundshaw. Inevitable such charges wouyld actually reditribute wealth away from those areas to more affluent and lower waste/higher recycling areas of the borough.
It is wrong because it will create a perverse incentive to flytipping. Inevitably this will end up in the back-alley's of more affluent areas and thus a demand will arise from residents for the Council to fence these. Thus we end up creating a redistributive "lose/lose" situation with the Council caught in tyhe middle.
There is a better approach and it is to adopt other forms of taxation (London airport and hotel tourist taxes) and then use these to subsidise incentives (ie money off your Council Tax) for increased recycling. Thus low recycling areas will not feel they are being disadvantages and fly-tipping may even be reduced.
As a 2002 GLA scruitny showed an incentive approach is a much better market mechanism than an unfair charge that will be perceived no better than a Poll Tax on younger, poorer families!!
I think it is the wrong approach and there are better ways to encourage recycling.
It is wrong because the largest waste generating households are inevitably those with young families. In an affluent borough like Sutton the youngest populations live in St Helier and on Roundshaw. Inevitable such charges wouyld actually reditribute wealth away from those areas to more affluent and lower waste/higher recycling areas of the borough.
It is wrong because it will create a perverse incentive to flytipping. Inevitably this will end up in the back-alley's of more affluent areas and thus a demand will arise from residents for the Council to fence these. Thus we end up creating a redistributive "lose/lose" situation with the Council caught in tyhe middle.
There is a better approach and it is to adopt other forms of taxation (London airport and hotel tourist taxes) and then use these to subsidise incentives (ie money off your Council Tax) for increased recycling. Thus low recycling areas will not feel they are being disadvantages and fly-tipping may even be reduced.
As a 2002 GLA scruitny showed an incentive approach is a much better market mechanism than an unfair charge that will be perceived no better than a Poll Tax on younger, poorer families!!
posted by Charlie Mansell at 2:56 pm
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