Does landfill tax apply to waste which is converted into energy?

Environment analysis: Is landfill tax payable if the biodegradable material deposited produces gas which is then converted into energy? Discussing the judgment in Patersons of Greenoakhill, Melanie Hall QC at Monckton Chambers advises that for the first time in many years we have an authoritative and well-reasoned decision on the scope, nature and policy objectives of the landfill tax.

This article was first published on LexisPSL

 

Specific Tax Regimes and European State Aid Rules: The UK Aggregates Levy

Whether a specific tax regime is compatible with European state aid rules turns on the question of whether it is ‘selective’:  does it favour certain undertakings or products over comparable undertakings or products, in a way that is not justified by the nature of scheme?  That question can be difficult to answer in practice.  After ten years of litigation, during which the General Court has itself misinterpreted selectivity, the General Court has outlined a staged analysis that should be undertaken, which focuses heavily on the effects that the tax has and will have in practice.

Two Into One Won’t Go

The Government response to consultation on competition reform (“Growth, Competition and the Competition Regime”) suffers from one “hidden” major flaw, which may be fatal to its objectives. The flaw is the lack of any proper accountability within the new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in respect of decision making (findings and remedial action) in market inquiries and mergers. It is “hidden” because, unlike other areas such as the removal of dishonesty from the cartel offence, it is not immediately apparent to non specialised readers of the consultation document.

The Danfoss Case

A third party (P) who bears the burden of unlawfully levied tax paid by a supplier (T) to the State may be able to recover the tax from T or the State. The European Court of Justice in Danfoss A/S, Sauer-Danfoss ApS v Skatteministeriet (Case C-94/10) ruled that a defence raised by the State that P has no direct causal link because P did not pay the tax to the State would breach the principle of effectiveness.

Public Law & Human Rights Update

2011 was an exciting year for Monckton Chambers’ public law and human rights team. This newsletter brings together some of the wide ranging cases Members of Chambers have recently been involved in that may be of interest.