INCREASES TO BUSINESS RATES FOR SOLAR POWER

That this House notes with concern the Chancellor of the Exchequer's decision in the Spring Budget 2017 to hugely increase business rates for rooftop solar by up to 800 per cent; further notes that solar power is a clean and sustainable technology which is quick to install, produces no carbon emissions, and has very high rates of public support; notes that solar will be a vital part of a clean energy mix in the transition away from fossil fuels, which is essential to avoid dangerous levels of climate change; notes that some forms of fossil fuel generation do not have to pay business rates, and that the Government provides a huge amount of taxpayer-funded support for oil and gas despite the damage these energy sources inflict on the climate; believes that in order to support the transition away from fossil fuels, it is essential to put in place a regulatory regime which does not financially penalise renewables, including wind, solar and tidal power; notes the huge potential for jobs, growth and investment in the UK that the renewable energy sector offers; calls on the Government to urgently reconsider this huge increase in taxes on solar; and urges the Government to bring in a regulatory regime which supports renewables while phasing out dangerous, dirty and polluting fossil fuels.