Tory Policy Group Proposes Tax Breaks For Energy Efficient Homes

Home-owners could be offered tax breaks to make their homes more energy-efficient, under new schemes proposed by a Conservative group set up by David Cameron to develop policies on the environment.

The Quality of Life Policy Group, chaired by former Environment Secretary John Gummer and green campaigner Zac Goldsmith, also wants Mr Cameron to clamp down on high-energy domestic appliances like plasma-screen TVs and impose limits on stand-by lights which waste electricity.

The report proposes a partial rebate on stamp duty if all cost-effective energy efficiency improvements are made when a home is sold, or shortly afterwards. It also suggests 0% stamp duty for zero-carbon homes and council tax discounts for homes built to the highest environmental standards.

Mr Goldsmith told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show: "We can achieve massive reductions from very little investment, and from the home-owners' point of view that does pretty quickly lead to savings on your bills...."The savings aren't so big that it's going to drive people to make these changes unless they are driven by ethical concerns. That's why we need to have this stamp duty rebate. It has to be a no-brainer for ordinary people... Enough of a reduction that it becomes the obvious thing to do for all home-owners."