Federal Government proposes a price on carbon.

[fish]

Today the Federal Government announced a new price on carbon starting from July 2012. It looks like it will be a straight price (or tax) on carbon emissions at first, with a transition to a "cap and trade" system in a few years. At this stage there are few details but these will be sorted out over the coming months.

The proposal has received a mixed reaction so far, as you would expect for such a proposal.

I am generally in favour of using the market as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, however it's too early for me to decide whether I like the proposed plan or not. For a start I'd like to see a scheme that is simple to administer, that fosters innovation, that returns any revenue raised to the taxpayer and that doesn't exclude any of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

[gadj1976]

Non core promise.....

[dedja]

Non core promise.....

[Q.]

Will the tax be used to help fund R&D into renewable energy sources?

[Barto]

Will the tax be used to help fund R&D into renewable energy sources?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

[mick]

Labor must think the next election is unwinnable. Courageous decision by PM Brown.......sorry Gillard

[fish]

Non core promise.....

Yep it is a pretty poor effort to break a clear election promise.

[fish]

Will the tax be used to help fund R&D into renewable energy sources?

I would be very surprised if the fund is not used to fund Research and Development into low carbon technology including renewables and things such as carbon capture and storage.

[Sky Pilot]

with a bit of luck it might bring on an election. In the meantime I'd like to see the issue debated by opposing scientific sides without a pollie in sight.
What is a carbon tax anyway? Does it mean that if I have a factory that makes dolls eyes and fountain pen lids and in doing so the process generates CO2 and someone will come along and calculate how much of this stuff I make and tax me accordingly? So then I can send the company to China and give them the problem?

[fish]

Labor must think the next election is unwinnable. Courageous decision by PM Brown.......sorry Gillard

The government is taking a huge risk with this policy as they know that it will not be received well by the public.

[scoob]

I have not decided whether I am in favour of a carbon tax of some sort or not, but what really does frustrates and annoys me is that this was announced at the same time that a news headline grabbing Earthquake is present and seems a deliberate ploy to slip it through without making too many waves - I know this is an old politically trick but it really does smell and doesn't fill you with trust with politicians! (I know those 2 words trust and politicians dont go together)

[Psyber]

I'd prefer to see any levy or tax going into a designated and isolated fund to support and subsidise changing technology - that I wouldn't object strongly to.
Unfortunately, I expect it will go into general revenue and just be another new tax to be frittered away.
And yes, she did make a clear promise to the Australian people that it wouldn't happen.
Is it time to take to the streets like the Egyptians!

[redandblack]

Yes, this is the first time ever in Australia that a politician has broken a promise.

Man the barricades!!!!

(Psyber, Tony's attack would have been more effective if he hadn't stuffed up the MacBeth quote

[Psyber]

Yes, this is the first time ever in Australia that a politician has broken a promise.
Man the barricades!!!!
(Psyber, Tony's attack would have been more effective if he hadn't stuffed up the MacBeth quote

I haven't heard Tony's attack - he is easier to ignore than Julia because ABC TV reports everything she says in detail.
I'm not fond of either of them . I may move back to my position of the early 1980s - "Don't vote, it only encourages them."
[ It was Paul Keating who stimulated me to take an interest in Politics and join the Liberal Party.]

[redandblack]

You are kidding, Psyber.

You obviously haven't watched our listened to the ABC for a while now.

Every news bulletin starts with "Today, The Leader of the Opposition said.....)

Their comments people are now from the IPA and they source most of their stories from The Australian.

Have a look at the make-up of the Board.

Wall-to-wall Liberal flunkies.

[Psyber]

You are kidding, Psyber.
You obviously haven't watched our listened to the ABC for a while now.
Every news bulletin starts with "Today, The Leader of the Opposition said.....)
Their comments people are now from the IPA and they source most of their stories from The Australian.
Have a look at the make-up of the Board.
Wall-to-wall Liberal flunkies.

Maybe we notice most what annoys us most.
I tend to watch ABC TV for a short time in the early evenings, and turn it on mornings for the morning news, and all I've seen recently has been wall-to-wall Julia Gillard.
Perhaps I just keep turning it on when it is her turn by sheer coincidence - I haven't seen Tony at all in the last week.
[ I notice her voice is getting breathier and more like Gough Whiltlam's as time goes by too... ]

[Sky Pilot]

You are kidding, Psyber.
You obviously haven't watched our listened to the ABC for a while now.
Every news bulletin starts with "Today, The Leader of the Opposition said.....)
Their comments people are now from the IPA and they source most of their stories from The Australian.
Have a look at the make-up of the Board.
Wall-to-wall Liberal flunkies.

Maybe we notice most what annoys us most.
I tend to watch ABC TV for a short time in the early evenings, and turn it on mornings for the morning news, and all I've seen recently has been wall-to-wall Julia Gillard.
Perhaps I just keep turning it on when it is her turn by sheer coincidence - I haven't seen Tony at all in the last week.
[ I notice her voice is getting breathier and more like Gough Whiltlam's as time goes by too... ]

Hopefully she will suffer the same fate Whitlam did before we invented carbon. Good riddance too!

[Leaping Lindner]

You are kidding, Psyber.
You obviously haven't watched our listened to the ABC for a while now.
Every news bulletin starts with "Today, The Leader of the Opposition said.....)
Their comments people are now from the IPA and they source most of their stories from The Australian.
Have a look at the make-up of the Board.
Wall-to-wall Liberal flunkies.

Maybe we notice most what annoys us most.
I tend to watch ABC TV for a short time in the early evenings, and turn it on mornings for the morning news, and all I've seen recently has been wall-to-wall Julia Gillard.
Perhaps I just keep turning it on when it is her turn by sheer coincidence - I haven't seen Tony at all in the last week.
[ I notice her voice is getting breathier and more like Gough Whiltlam's as time goes by too... ]

Did you listen yesterday? All I heard on the news service was the Mad Monk. Taxpayers dollars got a mention. Taxes being too much were mentioned in there. Something about new taxes and then there was something about the sky falling in due to taxes.
I just keep thinking about glasshouses and stones.

[Psyber]

Did you listen yesterday? All I heard on the news service was the Mad Monk. Taxpayers dollars got a mention. Taxes being too much were mentioned in there. Something about new taxes and then there was something about the sky falling in due to taxes.
I just keep thinking about glasshouses and stones.

I followed my usual pattern - perhaps it is just timing and luck??
I don't actually object to higher taxes than at present for those on higher incomes - like MPs.
I do worry about raising taxes just to pile up more debt, and I don't think just because the other "developed countries" have high debt levels we should follow suit.
The RBA may be right - the mining boom may collapse and perhaps we should be setting up reserves now, not debt.

[scoob]

Having heard a little bit about this, I'm wondering how this is going to help? Tax the companies / large users of Carbon - increasing the cost of energy, increasing the cost of manufacturing. So then all Australians pay extra for power bills, companies employing blue collars workers move their manufacturing overseas where it is cheaper to operate business.... Then what happens with the money? It gets distributed to people to offset the rise in living costs - so does everyone get their money back? No - the rich will pay for the poor, ok fine, I get that and believe that low income earners will need help when being hit by another tax... But what does it do for jobs and how does it combat climate change? Doesn't seem to make sense to me - stratergies to encourage private investment into green energies by way of giving energy producers a guranteed price for the energy returned to the grid maybe a more direct approach?