Gareth Kane on Brown's green budget promises.

Meet our new contributor, Gareth Kane.

Gareth will be giving a weekly view on news and current affairs for Hippyshopper. As the Director of environmental and sustainability consultancy Terra Infirma, Gareth has a very hands-on insight into green issues. Terra Infirma works with companies, organisations and individuals to improve their environmental performance. Gareth has worked in the environmental sector for nine years and has recently renovated his Victorian house in an eco-friendly manner. He also writes the Eco-living Blog. In today's post, Gareth will be giving his predictions on this Wednesday's budget, and just how green Gordon will be willing to go. Read on after the jump.

Brown's Last Budget: Will He Go Green?

Ever since David Cameron became leader of the Conservative Party he has repeatedly banged the green drum, hugging huskies on melting glaciers and revamping the Tories' torch logo as a squiggly tree. He sees a triple whammy of benefits - he can hit the Labour Government where it is vulnerable, appeal to the Lib Dem voters he desperately needs to switch over, and, importantly, cast off the cobwebby image of his own party. So all eyes are on Chancellor Gordon Brown and how he will stave off this blue-green threat in his Budget on Wednesday, his last before his expected promotion to Prime Minister in the summer.

First impressions suggest he will be cautious. Cameron has had a hostile reaction in the press to his proposed increase in aviation taxes and Brown won't stick his neck out. His only target for eco-penalties will be the much ridiculed drivers of 4x4s with road tax on the most polluting vehicles doubling to £400. His other measures will be carrots rather than sticks. If you generate your own electricity at home, you will be able to sell the excess to the national grid with no tax on the proceeds. That is if your B&Q wind turbine ever produces more than a trickle of juice. You will also be able to buy a zero carbon home free of stamp duty, if you can actually find a zero carbon home. And lastly, he has written to the EU asking for VAT on energy efficient goods to be reduced to 5%. And that's about it. The Chancellor is already getting his "Brown Targets Gas Guzzlers" headlines, but if you were hoping for a truly eco-friendly budget, this won't be it.