[LINK] Carbon Tax

Tom Koltai tomk at unwired.com.au
Thu Feb 24 15:26:16 AEDT 2011



> -----Original Message-----
> From: link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au 
> [mailto:link-bounces at mailman.anu.edu.au] On Behalf Of 
> stephen at melbpc.org.au
> Sent: Thursday, 24 February 2011 2:02 PM
> To: link at anu.edu.au
> Subject: [LINK] Carbon Tax
> 
> 
> Does anybody know *exactly* HOW any new Carbon Tax would be spent?
> 
> For example, our last 4 electricity bills, for a very similar usage:
> 
> 17/07/2010  $394
> 17/09/2010  $496
> 15/11/2010  $524
> 17/01/2011  $602
> 
> In other words, a large increase in costs already, without a new tax.
> 
> Another increase in electricity costs for us will not decrease usage.
> 
> So, aside from further discouraging electricity use, (which 
> will not happen for us, we're already very electricity use 
> conscious) exactly HOW would the Carbon Tax monies be spent? 
> If it's just to discourage usage, then bugger-off. But, if it 
> will somehow wean our electricity suppliers off from burning 
> brown coal (unlikely?) then any tax is ok.
> 
> As yet no-one has explained to me HOW this money would help 
> our green housing planet. HOW would this extra $300 or so / 
> year help Australia?

It won't Stephen.
But it will allow power companies to buy offsets allowing the minister
to say:

We have met our obligations under Kyoto.
Oh, hang on they were thrown out...
OK, Copenhagen....
Oh no agreement under Copenhagen.
OK. It will allow Australia to say "We are XXX% greener than we were
last year."

Not that we will be greener as much of the NGACs/REC's [CCO's] required
to be generated may have to be purchased offshore... (even with 1% of
Australians signing up for the Solar Power scheme.)

So in effect Carbon Credits are a Taxation on your living standards that
will benefit the traders of Carbon offsets but will not benefit the
economy of 97.8% of the country.

However as energy and food is not counted in the CPI calculations, it
will not appear as if there is any inflationary pressure so net effect,
GDP goes up, inflation stays static. 







More information about the Link mailing list