In the Autumn Statement, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said the UK Government will raise the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) and the Aggregates Levy Rate.
The UK government says it will legislate in the Autumn Finance Bill 2023 to increase the Plastic Packaging Tax rate in line with CPI (Consumer Price Indices) to £217.85 per tonne from 1 April 2024. The Autumn Statement also commits to publishing an evaluation plan by the end of the year to further incentivise the use of recycled plastic in packaging.
Hunt told MPs the Government will increase the Aggregates Levy rate in line with RPI (Retail Price Index) to £2.08 per tonne from 1 April 2025.
The UK Government also announced it is launching a £78 million pilot fund aimed at alleviating the cost of landfill tax where it is “acting as a barrier to the remediation and redevelopment of contaminated land”.
As part of the Autumn Statement, the Treasury also published an analysis that shows the deposit return scheme (DRS) and extended producer responsibility (EPR) will save the public purse £20 million a year by 2028/29. The UK Government says the “main uncertainties” in the costing relate to the size of the behavioural response. DRS and the EPR will come into effect from 1 October 2025.
