Ash Regan 13 images Created 10 Mar 2023
Harburn, Scotland, UK. 10 March 2023.
PICTURED: Ash Regan MSP seen against backdrop of wind turbines at Harburnhead Wind Farm, near Edinburgh.
Credit: Colin D Fisher/CDFIMAGES.COM
PRESS RELEASE:
Ash Regan sets out her energy plan for Scotland - with a proposal to use an existing environmental tax to power the transition to a citizen-owned energy company.
In Ash Regan's proposal, the Carrier Bag Charge, which charges 10p in all supermarkets, shops, and take-aways, would be strengthened from its current position of a 'suggestion to give to good causes' to a seed investment in an energy company, backed by the Scottish National Investment Bank.
50% of the carrier bag charge would be diverted to the new energy company, with the remaining 50% staying with the business for continued donation to a registered charity. In the event the company wanted to support the National Energy Company, 100% could be sent to the investment fund.
It is estimated nearly £31m could be available to the yearly funding of the energy company, once all forms of retail that are legislated under the charge are taken into account, previous figures have only focussed on the supermarkets. Likewise, under Ash Regan, the full charge would be used for the people of Scotland, withholding the 20% VAT currently returned to Westminster for use in the energy company.
Ash Regan said: "We need to be bold and ambitious, we need to look at tackling generation, transmission and supply of energy. We have the resources, we have the infrastructure, we need to make it deliver to the people of Scotland in an affordable manner. For far too long large corporations have profited from Scotland's vast natural resources, and we ensure that those resources are used to the greatest benefit to the people of Scotland.
The Carrier Bag Charge can be used to fund the initial setup of the new National Energy Company. This will provide a steady and reliable income stream to get the project setup over the next few years wh
PICTURED: Ash Regan MSP seen against backdrop of wind turbines at Harburnhead Wind Farm, near Edinburgh.
Credit: Colin D Fisher/CDFIMAGES.COM
PRESS RELEASE:
Ash Regan sets out her energy plan for Scotland - with a proposal to use an existing environmental tax to power the transition to a citizen-owned energy company.
In Ash Regan's proposal, the Carrier Bag Charge, which charges 10p in all supermarkets, shops, and take-aways, would be strengthened from its current position of a 'suggestion to give to good causes' to a seed investment in an energy company, backed by the Scottish National Investment Bank.
50% of the carrier bag charge would be diverted to the new energy company, with the remaining 50% staying with the business for continued donation to a registered charity. In the event the company wanted to support the National Energy Company, 100% could be sent to the investment fund.
It is estimated nearly £31m could be available to the yearly funding of the energy company, once all forms of retail that are legislated under the charge are taken into account, previous figures have only focussed on the supermarkets. Likewise, under Ash Regan, the full charge would be used for the people of Scotland, withholding the 20% VAT currently returned to Westminster for use in the energy company.
Ash Regan said: "We need to be bold and ambitious, we need to look at tackling generation, transmission and supply of energy. We have the resources, we have the infrastructure, we need to make it deliver to the people of Scotland in an affordable manner. For far too long large corporations have profited from Scotland's vast natural resources, and we ensure that those resources are used to the greatest benefit to the people of Scotland.
The Carrier Bag Charge can be used to fund the initial setup of the new National Energy Company. This will provide a steady and reliable income stream to get the project setup over the next few years wh
