Quakers urge government to tax polluters before global climate talks
Quakers in Britain has joined faith and civil society leaders in urging the UK government to tax fossil fuel companies and the very wealthy to fund climate action ahead of COP30.
In a letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the group says taxing big polluters could lower UK energy costs and support the shift to clean energy.
It also calls for help for those affected by climate disasters.
The letter signed by over 20 Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist leaders comes ahead of finance talks in the run-up to COP30.
[QUOTE-START]
In many faith systems, paying taxes is part of the functioning of a just society
- faith leaders
[QUOTE-END]
It suggests options including a Climate Damages Tax, the removal of subsidies for North Sea oil and gas, and a two per cent tax on personal assets over £10 million.
Signatories include Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury; Shanon Shah, director of Faith for the Climate; Paul Parker, recording clerk for Quakers in Britain; and Jonathan Gainsborough, Bishop of Kingston.
They are joined by secular groups focused on tax and climate justice.
Together, these organisations represent diverse faith traditions and campaign groups united in a call for fairer climate funding.
"In many faith systems, paying taxes is part of the functioning of a just society," signatories write.
"Support for climate action and taxation as a means of contributing to the common good and caring for the natural world is not just limited to people of faith," they add.
Quakers and other signatories say the UK should re-establish its international leadership by joining the Coalition for Solidarity Levies and backing fair climate finance.
Polling shows strong public support for these measures, including among wealthy individuals.
Quakers link this call to their long-standing belief in economic justice, and say progressive taxation is one way of ensuring money is used for the common good.
The letter follows a similar appeal before COP29 and challenges ministers to act ahead of COP30.