PEOPLE in Edinburgh with environmentally-friendly homes could be rewarded with a rebate on their council tax.
The city council has agreed to ask the Scottish Government for powers to reward efforts to go green by lowering home and business rates.
The proposals would see people who have made their homes more environmentally friendly, or bought a home in a
zero-carbon development, get a reduction.
Companies that make moves to cut their carbon footprint, such as installing a wind turbine or putting on transport for employees, would also be eligible for business rate cuts under the plans.
Braintree Council in Essex has been operating a similar scheme, in conjunction with British Gas, since 2004. Rebates on council tax are also provided to householders installing cavity wall insulation.
The plans are part of the city council's response to the Scottish Government's consultation on a climate change Bill which aims to reduce Scotland's carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.
In a separate development, city leaders have agreed to carry out environmental impact assessments on all future plans.
Councillor Ewan Aitken, the city's Labour leader, who put forward the idea of asking for local powers on climate change to the council's policy committee, said: "We now have local emissions targets so we need to the powers to achieve this.
"I was delighted this got universal support at committee. I think there are some issues, like the environment, which transcend politics. This is about giving people another incentive to do something about climate change, where they know their choices are reducing emissions but also bringing them a personal benefit."
The city council has its own carbon reduction targets of 20 per cent by 2015, 30 per cent by 2025 and having a zero carbon economy by 2050.
Councillor Steve Burgess, the Greens environment spokesman, said: "Creating incentives for people to take action on climate change would be welcomed, and I think this would also help to show the impact that individuals' actions can make."
In 2005 the Energy Saving Trust put forward the idea that householders should get a one-off council tax rebate of between £50 and £90 for installing energy efficiency measures.
In its response, the council urges the Scottish Government to investigate the possibilities of introducing new powers at a local level in partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.
City leader Jenny Dawe, said: "Climate change is acknowledged by many as the single biggest threat to our planet.
"As a council we have set exacting targets to ensure that good environmental practice is at the core of all of our policies to preserve resources for future generations."
The full article contains 451 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
