{"id":29165,"date":"2021-02-19T17:53:40","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T17:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogsnew.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=29165"},"modified":"2021-02-19T17:53:40","modified_gmt":"2021-02-19T17:53:40","slug":"green-party-calls-for-no-vat-on-refurb-in-new-parliamentary-petition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=29165","title":{"rendered":"Green Party calls for no VAT on refurb in new Parliamentary petition"},"content":{"rendered":"

A petition from Molly Scott Cato \u2013 the Green Party’s finance spokesperson \u2013 on the Downing Street website calls on the government to remove VAT on refurbishment projects and raise VAT on non-Passivhaus new-build construction to 20 per cent, with more than 2000 signatories to date, and closing on 8 August.<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

\u20260% rate VAT on refurbishment\u2026.5% if the build meets minimum passive house\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n

\u2026 construction industry produces 40% of our total emissions\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n

Petitioner Molly Scott Cato writes:<\/p>\n

To create a tax incentive to favour retrofit instead of demolition and new build.<\/p>\n

\n

To 0% rate VAT on refurbishment projects total costs if they substantially reduce CO2e emission of the building; impose a 20% VAT for new build schemes, reduced to 5% if the build meets minimum passive house standard; to 0% rate VAT for all items on a regularly updated list of energy-saving products.<\/p>\n

More details<\/h2>\n

Since Brexit, UK has total freedom to use a differential VAT regime to address the climate emergency.<\/p>\n

UK construction industry produces 40% of our total emissions; initial embodied carbon can account for 75% of lifetime emissions. Retrofitting is carbon-efficient but the current VAT regime privileges new build over refurbishment.<\/p>\n

The government could also incentivize retrofit by removing the liability for VAT from all energy-efficiency products and simplify the processing for claiming back.<\/p>\n

Read more and access the petition…<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n