Changing the throwaway society –
Sweden’s ruling Social Democrat and Green party coalition proposes to cut VAT from 25% to 12% for repairs to items like bicycles, shoes and clothes, at an expected annual cost of £25M.
Their Budget also proposes tax refunds equal to half the labour cost of repairing white goods like washing machines and fridges (£17M/yr).
Per Bolund, deputy finance minister says: “We believe that getting lower costs for labour is a big part in making it more rational to repair rather than just to buy cheap and throw away,”
This will help tackle the problem that “the carbon emissions from Sweden affecting the climate are decreasing but emissions from consumption are increasing.”
It will also create more Swedish jobs, as repair work is local and more labour intensive than producing goods, most of which are manufactured elsewhere.
I really hope these forward-thinking proposals are adopted. Watch this space! They seem like a great model for what to campaign for here.