Warning to shoppers of £1bn ‘toaster tax’ in new green plans

CONSUMERS could fall victim to a £1billion ‘toaster tax’ under net zero plans, Tory MPs and retailers have claimed.

The Government has unveiled proposals requiring retail firms to ‘take back’ used electrical items for recycling.

The companies will be forced to provide a complimentary collection service for a customer’s old appliance when selling a new one.

Ministers believe the measures are needed to avoid millions of household goods ending up in landfill each year.

But analysis accompanying the Government’s consultation document admits the scheme’s cost could be ‘passed back to consumers through higher prices’.

Former Cabinet minister David Jones, who has branded the move a ‘toaster tax’, told the Sunday Telegraph: ‘This is exactly the sort of burdensome regulation that we thought we were getting rid of when we left the EU.’

The plans also ask firms with a

‘An invisible charge everyone pays’

turnover of more than £100,000 in electrical sales to offer ‘free takeback of unwanted electrical equipment in store without the need to purchase a new item’.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said the requirements could cost firms ‘£1billion or more’ a year.

‘It will become an invisible charge that everybody pays,’ she said.

‘If retailers have to take in more than they sell, some who only sell small volumes may stop selling them at all and larger supermarkets may also reduce the ranges offered, both reducing choice for customers.’

A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: ‘These proposals will make it easier for people to recycle electricals and drive the much-needed move to a more circular economy.

‘We have been consulting widely on these plans, including with industry leaders, and we will fully consider all consultation responses before setting out next steps.’