GREEN PARTY
GREENS PUBLISH OIL INDUSTRY SUBSIDY
FIGURE, PUSH FOR DECOMMISSIONING ROLE FOR INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND
Green Yes, the Scottish Green Party's campaign for a Yes vote in the independence referendum,
today (14 Sep) has published new figures which for the first time estimate the public subsidy behind big oil company profits.
The campaign has also published a detailed
report by a leading oil finance author, showing the options an independent Scotland would have to position itself as a world
leader in offshore decommissioning and publicly owned renewables.
The subsidy figure reveals that oil companies receive around £1billion worth of
tax breaks from the UK Government every year - that's roughly £190 from every Scot.
Patrick Harvie, Green MSP for Glasgow and Co-convener of the Scottish
Greens, said:
"As Scotland
debates its future, discussion over oil has tended to focus on extracting every last drop and burning it, when we know we
simply can't afford to do that for economic and environmental reasons. What has also been overlooked is the huge subsidy we're
all giving the big oil companies. Now that figure's out in the open we should consider the logic of continuing such massive
tax breaks.
"Big oil
companies are already throwing their weight around as the vote nears, and an independent Scotland should be prepared to stand
up to that. If Scotland remains part of the UK we will struggle to assert control; with a Yes we can build a genuinely sustainable
economy, reducing our reliance on a declining industry and instead growing the clean technology of the future."
(Ends)
£1bn subsidy figure explained:
www.scottishgreens.org.uk/oil-and-gas-taxation
We place the average tax break at
around £1.15 billion per annum for the entire UK Continental Shelf. The Scottish proportion of this is approximately
90 per cent or roughly £1.05 billion per year. The 90:10 split is based on Scotland's geographical share and commonly
used.
This total figure is
an estimate based on a combination of Government and industry estimates but very limited data.
The Green Yes graphic includes illustrations of what £1 billion
could deliver instead of subsidising oil industry profits: more renewables, childcare, 25,000 extra teachers, 28,000 extra
nurses.
Green Yes Energy Independence
briefing - report by Mika Minio-Paluello:
http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/09/Energy-independence-Green-Yes-briefing.pdf
Jason Rose
Head of Media
Scottish Greens
