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New TPA Research: Taxpayer Funded Environmentalism
We can today reveal for the first time the true extent of taxpayer funded environmental campaigning in the UK and the European Union.
This sort of campaigning pushes the case for green taxes and distorts decision making in favour of greater regulation. It is a form of taxpayer funded lobbying and, particularly at a time when there are cuts in other areas of public spending and tax rises, it should be stopped.
This new research details the groups receiving funding and how they use their resources to lobby and campaign on environmental issues.
Key findings:
A total of £10.1 million was given to a range of environmental groups by the UK Government and the European Union in 2009-10.
The total includes £2.5 million from various UK local councils, departments and quangos.
It also includes £7.6 million in European Commission grants to environmental NGOs.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office made the largest UK payment in 2009-10 of £342,929 to WWF UK.
Hackney council made the largest payment in 2009-10 from a UK council at £141,246 to Global Action Plan.
Matthew Sinclair, Director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:
“Environmentalist campaigns are politicised groups so it’s unfair and undemocratic that they are getting taxpayers’ money. If people want to give their own cash that’s one thing, but with ordinary families facing higher taxes the last thing they want is for politicians and bureaucrats to give on their behalf or put contracts to such groups. Taxpayers pay twice, once for the money given to green groups and then again when they campaign for regulations that push up electricity bills and other costs. The expensive scandal of taxpayer funded environmentalism in Britain and the EU has to end.”
December 8th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
[...] The taxpayer funded green religion [...]