Tamworth’s Dr Robin Gunning writes to say the repeal of the carbon tax is a betrayal of the national interest.
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Repeal of Australia’s carbon price is poor policy, and protects vested interests.
The carbon price repeal will be remembered by future generations as a betrayal of the national interest.
We have gone from having one of the best climate schemes in the world, to one of the worst. The carbon price was the central feature of Australia’s climate policy.
One of the purposes of the tax system is that if you want less of something bad, you tax it to send a price signal to everyone to use less.
Levying a price on carbon pollution emitted by power stations has worked well – there has been an
11 per cent fall in pollution from the electricity generation sector and Australia’s greenhouse emissions are at the lowest level for 24 years.
Without effective action to counter climate change, it means that we are heading for 3°C of global warming by 2070, exceeding the so-called “safe” limit of 2°C and well into dangerous territory for our health, our way of life, food supplies, water security, environment and economy.
All the evidence points to Australia (and here in North West NSW) being devastated by global warming, with fire, flood, drought and heatwaves happening more often and with greater severity.
The Abbott government argued that the carbon tax was ineffective and causing “enormous damage” to the economy, both of which are quite untrue. Just a cynical strategy to get elected.
Seven years ago, then Prime Minister Howard promised to introduce an emissions trading scheme to reduce greenhouse pollution.
The Abbott government, however, doesn’t even accept scientific evidence or economic expertise, and plans to replace a policy which is working, with a policy which won’t work and which may not even pass through Parliament.
The government has just abolished a scheme which taxed the polluters and compensated taxpayers, in favour of a plan which will tax the taxpayers (don’t hold your breath waiting for $550) and compensate the polluters. How much sense does that make?