Great British National Restoration Framework

PETS replaces most existing taxes (income tax, VAT, corporation tax, etc.) with levies on negative externalities that have wide public effects. The goal is to internalise real costs into market prices, penalise inefficiency rather than productivity, and structurally limit the state’s ability to expand spending on the fly.

All taxation eventually becomes a set of budget-driven Pigouvian taxes. HOT is the fiscal backbone; LOT, ROT, COT and MARE act as “voluntary” offsets that reduce the required HOT rate.

Revenue flows upward through local government with intentional multi-year lags:

• Central government sets budget in Jan Y0 for FY beginning Apr Y2 → levies counties
• Counties set budget in Jan Y1 for FY Y3 → levies districts
• Districts bill deedholders in Apr Y2 for payment Apr Y4

This delay promotes planning, allows public scrutiny, separates budget-setting from spending governments, and internalises future liabilities into property prices immediately.

Local government borrowing is prohibited. All figures denominated in troy ounces of gold.

Levied on the total absolute annual thermal output of every property footprint (measured via satellite, air, and ground sampling). Applies to all property types and is charged to deedholders.

Rationale: All human activity consumes energy and produces heat. HOT penalises thermodynamic inefficiency rather than work or income. It is naturally progressive, acts as a carbon tax by proxy, and encourages denser, more efficient urban development.

Agricultural land pays little; power stations and high-usage roads pay more. Leakage between properties is adjudicated in court.

Analogous to HOT but based on artificial light pollution and urban sky glow at night. Measured from space or ground stations. Helps reduce unnecessary light pollution while generating revenue that offsets HOT.

A material-flow based cost recovery system. All measurable public costs of non-biodegradable waste (collection, processing, landfill, environmental cleanup on land and waterways) are aggregated and charged to producers and importers by material category, plus 10%.

Councils measure and classify waste; HMRC aggregates and levies. Valuable materials are recovered and sold to reduce net costs. Industry is incentivised to take back materials privately to avoid the tax entirely.

Read the full detailed breakdown of the Refuse Output Tax (ROT) →

Levied on all chemical pollution emissions. Must cover the full cost of cleanup where possible, or full assessed damages plus 10% where cleanup is not feasible. Levied by county councils.

Levy on ports based on the environmental impact of shipping traffic within defined catchment areas. Covers amelioration and cleanup costs plus 10%. Ports may pass costs on as they see fit. Levied by central government.

Linear 20-year phase-out of the existing tax system. Small nuisance taxes eliminated first for quick simplification. Rates of remaining taxes lowered proportionally as PETS revenues ramp up. HMRC evolves into an environmental investigations and advisory agency supporting local councils.

To create a transparent, efficient, and self-limiting tax system that aligns private incentives with public costs, encourages productivity and thermodynamic efficiency, and prevents the state from engaging in arbitrary redistribution or unchecked spending growth.

Strong where it must be. Absent where it should be.