Landfill tax would be a disaster

A landfill tax levied on the basis of weight would be a disaster for the construction industry, according to Liz Bridge, director of taxation at the Building Employers Confederation. She has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Kenneth Clarke, urging him to consider opting for the better alternative of a waste tax based on value.

Bridge said: 'That would mean that if construction could get cheap, or free, dumping for its waste then the tax bill would be low.

'The waste industry and the CBI have been lobbying for a weight-based system. It would be disastrous for construction as soil and other dug-out material is cheap but heavy.'