Who's Right?

ACT New Zealand Climate Change Spokesman John Boscawen today demanded to know who New Zealanders are supposed to believe when it comes to the cost of the Government's Emissions Trading Scheme: Prime Minister John Key or Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee.

"On Monday, Mr Key told TVNZ ‘Breakfast' viewers that the ETS will cost households $3 per week.  Yet, in today's ‘Dominion Post' Mr Brownlee claims it will cost households $365 annually, or $7 per week.  So who's right?" Mr Boscawen said.

"National has no idea what the ETS will truly cost.  The future of our economy is at stake, and Mr Key should not be recklessly pushing ahead with the ETS when the Government does not even understand the impact it will have.  National must scrap or, at the very least, delay the ETS.

"I would, however, like to thank Agriculture Minister David Carter.  On Radio New Zealand today he finally admitted that, under the ETS, dairy farmers will pay $3,900 from July 1 and that the full costs for dairy farmers will be $10,200 per annum – or seven cents/kg of milk solids – from 2015. 

"Mr Carter previously accused ACT of spreading misinformation on the ETS and claimed that it would only cost dairy farmers 2.5 cents/kg of milk solids by 2015.  It is pleasing to see that he has finally come clean and publicly admitted that ACT's figures are accurate," Mr Boscawen said.