Australia introduces controversial carbon tax

[steve2470]

Source: BBC News

Australia has introduced its highly controversial carbon tax, after years of bitter political wrangling.

The law forces the country's 500 worst-polluting firms to pay a AU$23 (£15; $24) levy for every tonne of greenhouse gases they produce.

The government says the tax is needed to meet climate-change obligations of Australia - the highest emitter per-head in the developed world.

But the opposition calls it a "toxic tax", which will cost jobs.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18662560

[DVDGuy]

1. An Aussie's opinion

But the opposition calls it a "toxic tax", which will cost jobs.

The opposition, and their mining industry buddies.

High energy prices due to over-reliance on non renewable and carbon producing energy sources costs jobs, as does the high Australian dollar directly related to the world's insatiable taste for our resources.

Unfortunately, a lot of my compatriots have brought into the spin and misinformation campaign, despite the government using the collected tax to offer plenty of assistance and tax cuts, to the point where most people will actually be better off (for example, tax-free threshold has been tripled to $18,200, meaning that 1 in 10 tax payers no longer need to file a tax return).

[steve2470]

2. thanks for providing that extra info nt

[MrModerate]

4. I actually work for a company that works for one of Australia's resource giants . . .

No extra credit for guessing that the giant's name begins and ends with "B".

But I struggle with it. In my mind the company alluded to above and its fellows are ripping off the Australia public, paying piddling compensation for non-renewables and hauling the money away in boats. What's more, they bully the government at every level and pretty much get their way no.matter.what.

A year or so ago, the giants crushed a mining resources tax proposed by the center-left Labor Party that would have balanced the scale a trifling bit.

They didn't want to pay it and they bitch-slapped the government until it had to back down.

Years from now, the Australian people are going to be asking, "why did you let them rob us blind?" — and there won't be a good answer.

[PSPS]

3. "controversial"

There's that word again -- "controversial."

I see even the BBC has now adopted what, I presume, must be the current standard in copy writing: Anything that impedes the desires and profits of big business, no matter how popular, desired or necessary among the people, must be decried as "controversial."

[pampango]

5. Great that Australia has gone ahead with this over conservative opposition. More from wiki:

The price of one tonne of carbon will be set at $23 in the 2012-13 financial year. It will then change to a emissions trading scheme in 2015-16. The pricing is part of a broad energy reform package called the Clean Energy Plan and is aimed to encourage Australia’s largest emitters to reduce their emissions and invest in sustainable energy.

The two main targets of the carbon tax are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5% below 2000 levels by 2020 and a further reduction of 80% below 2000 levels by 2050. The scheme will be administered by the Clean Energy Regulator. Compensation to industry and households is being funded by the tax.

Australia generates 1.5% of global emissions but on a per capita basis Australia is the highest emitter of all developed countries. In September 2009, data from the United States Department of Energy showed the average output of carbon emissions was 20.58 tonnes for each Australian, higher than the average of 19.78 tonnes in the USA. In November 2009, a study by the Global Carbon Project confirmed that Australia had the highest carbon emissions per capita among developed nations. Greenhouse gases in Australia are primarily produced by electricity generation, petroleum refining and gas processing, accounting for slightly less than half of all emissions.

One criticism of the carbon pricing scheme has been that Australia should not proceed with its introduction ahead of other countries. However, according to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Australia will be one of around 50 jurisdictions implementing similar schemes worldwide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_tax_in_Australia