Govt to consider slowing down ETS

16 Sep 2011 05:14p.m.

TWE wrote:

The whole thing is a massive waste of money and an unnecessary cost on already overburdened taxpayers. Screw the ETS and a carbon tax, we don't want or need either. Something no politician in this country seems to be able to get into their head (with very few exceptions..)

15 Sep 2011 07:47p.m.

heremia tepoe wrote:

national bought it in at a cost of 2billion a year to the taxpayer, it should be dumped along with national.

15 Sep 2011 04:56p.m.

Wolfman wrote:

Jsut get rid of the scam altogether, it's only going to make the rich richer and the poor can get stuffed. This is bigger than any Nigerian Scammer, but it's all believable because a Lieing ex Septic Politician said it was. He even backed it up with a scam movie, and has since made Billions trading in his scam.

15 Sep 2011 03:54p.m.

Richard wrote:

Funny how the discussion is not related to how much action is needed to solve the problem but rather how much action is politically saleable to voters. This is mostly because the idea of a trading scheme represents a massive transfer of wealth from one lot of industry (emmiting) to another lot(mitigating) - the idea being that there are as many winners as losers and the costs will change behaviour. But in order to be 'business friendly' the govt is subsidising the emmiting industry to the tune of around 90%. So instead the scheme represents a massive transfer from taxpayers to polluting industry (no wonder the voters are frustrated). The better way to address the problem would be to create a flat carbon tax on all industry (which would get passed on to consumers) and the revenue from the tax be ringfenced and paid as a dividend to everybody equally. There would still be winners and losers (winners would be those who waste less energy and losers would be those who waste more) but overall the scheme would have a neutral impact on the population and would change behaviour. Over time (smoothly and predictably so as not to hurt business) the tax and dividends would be cranked up till it was at a level where it was causing real behaviour change (i.e. actually addressing the issue). If we'd started this process in 2000 when Labour first talked about a carbon tax then we'd have a tax at a decent level, would have better terms of trade (our fuels are pretty much 100% imported) have cleaner more efficient businesses and not be handing out hundreds of millions to business in subsidies or to Kyoto for failing to comply with the targets we agreed.

15 Sep 2011 03:42p.m.

ian wrote:

Go on,- dont slow it down -- just continue, and add it on as another additional financial burden for us to carry.

15 Sep 2011 03:33p.m.

cyril wrote:

I dont want to pay anything because they are wasting there time expecting this to help. Bit like trying to empty the sea with a tea cup unless the rest of the world gets on board and I doubt that will happen in a meaningful way in my lifetime Even then it is unlikely to do any good.

15 Sep 2011 02:30p.m.

Jay wrote:

Hoping to get more voters on their side