Landfills could add £30 to council tax

The Local Government Association said that a higher tax from the Treasury on landfill will result in around £30 more on council tax but it could be higher in regions where councils use more landfill per capita.

The tax increase will give councils £620 million to pay.

The LGA says the taxes should be spent on recycling facilities since they are meant to increase recycling.

After April, councils will be taxed at £40 per tonne of landfill rubbish. By next year, the tax will have increased to almost £50 a tonne in three years.

The intention of the tax is to push councils to recycle more and use less landfill.

The Chairman of the LGA environment board, Paul Bettison, said if a council does not have the funds for recycling systems, then it has no option but to pay the tax.

The revenue goes to the exchequer and does not return to the councils.

He said that council tax could increase more unless there is a cut in the use of landfill because of EU penalties.

People must recycle a lot of their rubbish he said, or council tax could go higher by £150 per tonne sent to landfill.

Councils must apply to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for a payment from the tax revenue.

However, a spokesman for DEFRA said the Treasury decides if money should be refunded to local authorities.

The Treasury maintains that the additional tax will be directed to improvements in recycling efficiency and is included in the local government accounting.

The Recycle Now campaign said this week, that homeowners in England during the last five years have recycled £1.1bn of garbage, this being the value of paper, glass and other materials.

33.8 million tonnes had been delivered for recycling but it would have cost £1.8bn to send that amount to landfill

A representative from TaxPayers’ Alliance called it a hidden tax on homeowners who currently pay various amounts to increase their amount of recycling deliveries.