The Carbon Tax: What’s your take on it?
I would of thought that instead of taxing the polluters, they should have just slowly put them out of business.
So if EVERY new home is FORCED to have feed to the grid solar, a system that far out weighs household consumption. So if everyone is making electricity, then we don’t need power plants. We create jobs in the solar industry to make up for the guys that lost jobs…................... could it really be that simple?
AZZ FOR PRIME MINISTER
Boo yeah, 2000 posts 
Mizu they won’t go anywhere, as witnessed by my example in norway. They need the stuff, and we’ve got it - simple as that. Its pure scaremongering to say that they will go elsewhere.
Even with a mining or carbon tax, they still make gazillions and get what the stuff they need. We have the supply, they have the demand.
I ate a water cracker that was made in China tonight!!!!!
Why??? Because I can’t get one that is made here!!!!! Is that “Scare Mongering”, or now just a reality???
We like to think that we have the draw card, but Australia is not the only country in the world that has resources!!!!! The big mining companies can always return at a later date, when we are the third world country that begs for them to restore our wealth!!!!!
I agree with Cords on most points there…..
Ive lived on 15,000 for the last 5years and I still manage to snowboard, surf, go out a little, play soccer etc, yeh it sucks being poor but its not really THAT poor. Theres still a hell of a lot of things I could live without but have bought.
granted I don’t have kids ( and kids change the game a lot!), but of my friends with families who do complain about the cost of living….most of them have taken out mortgages they cant afford, have plasma tvs they dont need, are over weight cause they eat shit food and to much of it, I always think - dont blame someone else cause you can’t afford all this shite….. those lifestyles are unsustainable…..whether this tax will make any difference is debatable But i’m highly sceptical about all the dooms dayers claims of the sky falling in, never happened with the GST and that was a much larger tax. As for the whining by the mining industry etc….it reminds me of the claims by the pubs and clubs that they would all have to close if the smoking ban was introduced. They arent going anywhere! Investment by mining companies on infrastructure and exploration in Australia has actually increased behind their smokescreen of alarm.
ps: if the chinese want to make us our Crackers let them, cause im not that keen to do it.
Mizu - Australia being a third world country? Are you kidding? Scaremongering at its worst, by the sounds of it.
There is a big difference between the industry in crackers and the mining/resources industry. The mining tax would have meant they get 5 gajillion less dollars out of their eleventy gajillion dollar profit. As CRACKERS said, they’ve been investing more, cos they know we are too weak and scared to do anything!
Brazil is a resources rich country, yet have millions living in poverty!!!! Why???
Don’t kid yourself for one second that Australia can’t lose its wealth in an instant, and especially if it is mismanaged by a government that couldn’t organize the pink batt scheme without drama!!!!
The USA wasn’t always the economic power that has become, and from the looks of it, is quickly losing its title!!!! Along with it will go their standard of living!!!! They have an unemployment rate that matches our population rate!!!! America was once the “Lucky Country”!!!!
And I could make another “5 gajilion” dollars by moving to another country, then I would!!!! They might be mining companies but they are in the business of making money firstly and foremost!!!!!
Just out of curiosity, did you guys come to Australia to further your education and employment prospects in order to have a higher standard of life???
I don’t know much about brazil’s situation but I would be willing to guess their plight is probably due to a mix of corruption, greed and foreign-owned companies managing those resources, with little being given back to the society that it belongs to?
Why is Norway doing so well then with its 70% resources tax?
Not sure who the last question is referring to? I was born here and I love it here, but if Australia keeps going the way its seems like it might be headed, I’d quite happily move to a country like Sweden or Norway, where people pay a high level of tax, everyone has a high level of services that are relatively easy to gain access to (and mostly free) and a higher standard of living than here. People pay a lot of tax, it doesn’t all necessarily go to helping THEM specifically, but people realise that its worth it for the good of society. This is the kind of country I think Australia could and should be. Something to look at, and aspire to.
We are half way there, with things like Medicare and the PBS, but too many people are too selfish and only think of themselves, which ends up with the rich getting richer and the poor getting the picture! (to quote my beloved Oils!) Any mention of a slight increase in tax and people go mental and say “why would I pay this, when it isn’t going to directly benefit me?” because they can’t see past the end of their own nose.
Brazil is a resources rich country, yet have millions living in poverty!!!! Why???
Don’t kid yourself for one second that Australia can’t lose its wealth in an instant, and especially if it is mismanaged by a government that couldn’t organize the pink batt scheme without drama!!!!
The USA wasn’t always the economic power that has become, and from the looks of it, is quickly losing its title!!!! Along with it will go their standard of living!!!! They have an unemployment rate that matches our population rate!!!! America was once the “Lucky Country”!!!!
And I could make another “5 gajilion” dollars by moving to another country, then I would!!!! They might be mining companies but they are in the business of making money firstly and foremost!!!!!
Just out of curiosity, did you guys come to Australia to further your education and employment prospects in order to have a higher standard of life???
I like this so much Mizu,
I tend to agree with cords. This planet isn’t going to be saved unless everyone sacrifices. It’s not about who wins or who loses; it’s about doing what’s necessary for the greater good. That said, I’m still undecided about the tax. Step in the right direction? Maybe. Is it enough? I highly doubt it. Who knows how it’s going to be handled by the Government. I have no faith in them.
I don’t know much about brazil’s situation but I would be willing to guess their plight is probably due to a mix of corruption, greed and foreign-owned companies managing those resources, with little being given back to the society that it belongs to?
Why is Norway doing so well then with its 70% resources tax?Not sure who the last question is referring to? I was born here and I love it here, but if Australia keeps going the way its seems like it might be headed, I’d quite happily move to a country like Sweden or Norway, where people pay a high level of tax, everyone has a high level of services that are relatively easy to gain access to (and mostly free) and a higher standard of living than here. People pay a lot of tax, it doesn’t all necessarily go to helping THEM specifically, but people realise that its worth it for the good of society. This is the kind of country I think Australia could and should be. Something to look at, and aspire to.
We are half way there, with things like Medicare and the PBS, but too many people are too selfish and only think of themselves, which ends up with the rich getting richer and the poor getting the picture! (to quote my beloved Oils!) Any mention of a slight increase in tax and people go mental and say “why would I pay this, when it isn’t going to directly benefit me?” because they can’t see past the end of their own nose.
I was refering to the Swedish contingent that you have married/befriended into!!!! (I mistakenly thought that you were also of Swedish heritage!!!!)
They don’t utilize Brazils natural resources because they lack the infrastructure, security and government assistance like they have in Australia!!!!! Or simply put, it makes them more $$$ to stay here!!!! At the moment anyway!!!!
I don’t know how the Norweigan system works, so I can’t comment on that!!!!
But as for my beloved Oils, Peter Garrett sold his soul when he joined the ALP!!!!!
And far as paying tax goes, I have no trouble paying taxes as I have done so for 30 years of my life so far!!!! The reality of it will be when the steel industry that I work for closes down due to the ETS, I will no longer be paying tax into the system that benifits all of us at the present!!!!
Oh, and Not to mention that the company that I work for, will no longer be around in order to contribute carbon tax dollars into Julia Browns glorious Tim Tam Scheme either!!!!
I tend to agree with cords. This planet isn’t going to be saved unless everyone sacrifices. It’s not about who wins or who loses; it’s about doing what’s necessary for the greater good. That said, I’m still undecided about the tax. Step in the right direction? Maybe. Is it enough? I highly doubt it. Who knows how it’s going to be handled by the Government. I have no faith in them.
Would you give up snowboarding for the greater good of the planet?????
I don’t see that as a realistic scenario. If you would like me to make such an extreme and difficult decision, you will have to explain yourself further. Why would quitting snowboarding be a necessary sacrifice for the good of the planet?
i will put it in a slightly less extreme light,
would you stop flying overseas to go snowboarding? planes emit a metric sh!tload of carbon, would you stop driving 6 hours to the snow? cars emit carbon etc. etc.
To be honest, I would probably live in the mountains and/or get an electric or hydrogen fuelled car. There are always solutions to problems. However, such solutions require sacrifice and unselfish action, even if it is at the expense of the economy. In my mind, the planet is more important than the economy. I know not everyone thinks the same, and I guess environment vs economy is really the issue at hand.