Making a Material Difference

What the construction products industry wants to see from this Government

INVESTMENT IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

• Funding to ensure our schools, hospitals, housing, transport and water infrastructure meet 21st century standards
• Clear output targets for what this investment will deliver
• Robust mechanisms to measure performance against Government targets
• Incentives for improving the energy efficiency of the UK housing stock
• Extension of 5% rate of VAT to all repair maintenance and improvement work
• Reduced stamp duty liability on energy efficient properties
• Government procurement which focuses on best-value and whole life-time costs

MEASURES TO MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE THE INDUSTRY'S COMPETITIVENESS:

• Fuel duty rates frozen and any new transport taxation, such as road user charging, ring-fenced for infrastructure improvements
• Aggregates Levy abolished and the Climate Change Levy redesigned
• A minimum 35% allowance rate on all capital investment and landowners' cost of cleaning up brownfield sites offset against corporation tax
• A speedier planning system which takes more account of the needs of business
• Early consultation with industry on the allocation methodology for Phase II of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
• Retention of the UK's opt-out under the Working Time Directive
• A clear and unambiguous definition of waste and when it ceases to be waste to allow more recycling
• Exclusion from REACH of raw materials and products covered by other directives
• Comprehensive and independent regulatory impact assessments on all new and reviewed legislation
• Early consultation with industry when formulating emissions policy for the period after 2012 (post-Kyoto)

A copy of the full Agenda can downloaded by clicking here.