UK property builders could end up paying car tax-style fees for houses which fail to reach certain environmental requirements, experts warn. The British Property Federation (BPF) released a statement on the points raised by the head of sustainability at EC Harris during a conference. Matt Fulford also told the SCORe event
“up to 35 per cent of carbon savings could be made with little or no cost”
, meaning property owners should look at tenant behaviour before engaging in costly refurbishments. He warned:
“The future for properties could be like vehicle excise duty, perhaps linked to business rates or stamp duty. We know there is a showroom tax on high polluting cars and this is very similar to stamp duty.”
The BPF’s chief executive Liz Peace added
“the property industry should not be expected to run power stations”
, in relation to increasing renewable energy commitments. The All Party Urban Development Group, a committee of MPs and peers, will publish the first ever parliamentary report on existing buildings on 16 July. Details of the report are expected to make hard-hitting recommendations to the government on how to minimise the environmental impact of property.
It is estimated about half of the UK’s carbon emissions are in some way related to buildings.
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