Patio heaters should be taxed more, say Lib Dems

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The Liberal Democrats have proposed introducing higher taxes on items such as patio heaters and inefficient lightbulbs.

Martin Horwood, the party's environment spokesman, said that since the highest-polluting cars were heavily taxed, other products harmful to the environment also needed to be treated in the same way.

The Lib Dems needed to be leading the fight against climate change by taxing luxury items such as heaters and other energy-consuming items, he said on BBC News.

"What about a tax on incandescent light bulbs? That would make people switch to energy efficient light bulbs.

"What about patio heaters? That is a luxury that can easily be taxed extremely heavily," he added.

Last week, delegates at the Lib Dem's annual conference voted in favour of increasing taxation on gas-guzzling cars as part of its environmental policy.

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