House of Commons · Westminster Hall
17 October 2023 · 1 other contributor · 1,372 words
Opened by Nigel Mills Con Amber Valley
Responding minister: Not recorded
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Nigel Mills raised concerns about plastic packaging tax on imports: hmrc enforcement in Westminster Hall. Response awaited from government.
Key points
Key requests to Government
We need robust processes to make sure that the claims people are making have some basis and they are following the rules. We should beef up HMRC guidance, provide a list of territories where there could be a lower risk approach and those with a higher risk approach if buying film sourced from there, and assume that the plastic packaging tax applies.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
There is real concern in the industry about illegal imports which claim to have a sufficient amount of recycled plastic content, when that is not the case. The industry has met with HMRC and was informed that enforcement was not its job. There are no tests that can be done on stretch film to verify the claims made by importers. The tax was enforced for about 18 months but there is very little enforcement to ensure compliance.
My hon. Friend agrees that the introduction of the plastic packaging tax was positive but highlights a significant concern regarding imports without verification, potentially undermining UK manufacturers who adhere to higher standards. He questions why it cannot be assumed that imported products do not contain 30% recycled material, especially when documentation from overseas is unreliable.