APPENDIX 21
Letter to the Financial Secretary, HM
Treasury from the Chairman, Environmental Audit Committee
PESTICIDES TAX
I am writing to express my surprise and disappointment
to have to glean from the press today that a pesticides tax is
now off the Budget agenda.
Putting aside your comments in evidence in January
that the earliest date for announcement on this would be the coming
Budget; the possibility that you might want to consider the conclusions
of the work of this Committee; and the fact that the "polluter
pays" principle will not now be applied to water pollution
from fertilisers, pesticides or other diffuse sources—it
would have been a courtesy to this Committee, and by extension
the House, for you to have given us directly some indication that
a decision has been taken on a matter we were discussing together
only 14 days ago.
I am copying this letter to the Deputy Prime
Minister and releasing it to the press. I do hope reference in
your press release to "further detailed discussions"
might include some account being taken of our conclusions which
will be available before the Budget 2000.
February 2000
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