A proposed tax on household appliances aimed at encouraging energy saving in the home would hurt the majority of consumers, an expert has said.

Rebecca Atkinson, news editor at personal finance magazine Moneywise, argued that the majority of people are in favour of helping to tackle climate change, but that they cannot afford higher bills to do so.

"While most people want to do their bit for the environment, it seems a bit steep to expect the general public to bear the financial burden of climate change in this way," she said.

She added that this is particularly the case at present because many households saw their utility bills rocket up in price over the last year.

Government-supported thinktank the Green Fiscal Commission claimed that a "polluter pays" tax shift would reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2020 and would create 455,000 new jobs in low carbon firms.

Instead of additional taxes, the government should spend more to educate people on energy saving around the home, Ms Atkinson said. ADNFCR-2539-ID-19432432-ADNFCR