Nelson/Marlborough Farming Column
December 2005
The appetite of Dr Cullen and this Government for more taxes is legendary, 43 new and increased levies and taxes have been introduced. The latest is the carbon tax. It will add 6c per litre to the price of petrol, 7c per litre to diesel, 6% to all power bills and put the price of coal and gas up by 9%.
This week National launches the axecarbontax.co.nz campaign. The new finely balanced Parliament gives us the opportunity to send the carbon tax the way of the fart tax.
The madness of the Government’s new carbon tax is that New Zealanders will be the only people in the world paying it. It will drive up the costs of living and undermine the competitiveness of New Zealand business for negligible environmental gain.
Labour Ministers may take pride in being toasted at International Climate conferences for being so bold and brave, but there is no justification for New Zealand going out in the cold by itself on this issue.
Submitted by climaterealists on Mon, 19/04/2010 - 17:16
Submitted by climaterealists on Mon, 19/04/2010 - 17:14
The Independent,"London, 15 April 2010 -- Steve Connor, Science Editor
It was the coldest winter in England since 1963 – the coldest in Scotland since 1914 – and weeks of ice, snow and sub-zero temperatures from last December to March defied predictions by climate-change scientists of milder, wetter winters. So what happened?
One theory suggests that last winter's cold temperatures were part of a pattern that is set to continue because of a complex interaction between the Sun's magnetic field and the high-altitude jet stream which dominates Britain's weather system. The jet stream normally brings mild, damp westerly winds over Britain during winter but this year it went into "blocking" mode, sweeping back on itself and allowing a bitterly cold north-east wind to blow over the country, bringing ice and snow with it.
Submitted by climaterealists on Mon, 19/04/2010 - 17:10
Dear Editor ,
On July 1st the launch of the Emissions Trading Scheme (or tax) will take place.
MP Colin King and Agriculture Minister, David Carter, are holding a public meeting at Meadowbank Station to discuss this legislation on Thursday, April 22nd at 3.15 pm
Every body who can should attend.
Some suggested questions to ask include:
How will this tax impact on people with low and fixed incomes.?
How are we all to pay the 5% increase in electricity charges and the 4cents / litre rise in fuel charges- not to mention the increase in inflation generated by these taxes?
What will be the impact on the very fragile NZ economy?
Submitted by climaterealists on Mon, 19/04/2010 - 17:08
Dear Sir
I will be upfront. I am not a National party member. However I voted National at the last election to get rid of the Labour Government and also to stop having us lead the world in matters of climate change. I am bitterly disappointed with the performance of National in this latter matter, and informed my MP Hon. Anne Tolley she lost my vote at the next election when they rushed through their amendments to the ETS in such indecent haste.
Among the items in my submission to the Select Committee hearing submissions on the amended legislation I said:
Submitted by climaterealists on Mon, 19/04/2010 - 17:01
John Boscawen MP, ACT New Zealand
Press Release Thursday, April 8 2010
Submitted by climaterealists on Mon, 19/04/2010 - 16:59
John Boscawen MP, ACT New Zealand
Speech on Third Reading, Dairy Industry Restructuring (Raw Milk Pricing Methods) Bill, Wednesday, March 31 2010
Submitted by climaterealists on Mon, 19/04/2010 - 16:55
Press Release by Employers & Manufacturers Association (Northern) at
11:15 am, 08 Apr 2010
The introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme must be delayed, the
Employers & Manufacturers Association (Northern) says.
"The New Zealand economy is in no state to lead the world with an
emissions trading scheme covering the entire New Zealand economy," said
EMA's chief executive Alasdair Thompson.
"In these circumstances EMA recommends the government legislate to align
the entry of our industry sectors into the ETS with those of our trading
partners, once they have their schemes in place.
"Our financial situation is far too fragile to absorb the extra $255
million the government calculates the ETS will cost all of us.
"The cost is effectively another tax that will impact on every family.
"It will come on top of changes to GST, and also higher ACC levies which
are cutting into the take home pay of all employees right now.
"The ETS will also hit hard the competitiveness of many of our leading
industries, including all our major food producing exporters.
"They will face cost increases that their competitors overseas and in
the New Zealand market do not face.
"It will cost jobs.
"New Zealand is the only country in the world to be introducing an ETS
that covers all sectors and all so called greenhouse gases.
"It was disingenuous of Minister Nick Smith to say on Radio New Zealand
this morning that the EU has an ETS in place - theirs covers only four
percent of EU output; ours covers 100 per cent of output.
"His main reason for proceeding now was that not to would lead to
perverse outcomes in the forestry sector. However forestry could be
incentivised to keep planting under a low level carbon tax which could
be used to give them a credit though not part of an ETS.
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