[img]http://resources2.news.com.au/cs/newscomau/v2/_shared/base/css/images/icons/homepage-title.png[/img] Source: [url]http://www.news.com.au/business/carbon-tax-bills-pass-lower-house-of-federal-parliament/story-e6frfm1i-1226165366533[/url]
[img]http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2011/10/12/1226164/603977-gillard-and-russ-embraced-as-carbon-tax-is-passed.jpg[/img]
PM Julia Gillard hugs Kevin Rudd after the carbon tax bills passed in the House of Representatives. Picture: Ray Strange
[release] • Carbon price rip-offs have started - ACCC
• Taxi drivers caught trying to add a "carbon levy"
• As it happened: PM's carbon tax passes
[B]IT'S the tax she said we would never have and the public doesn't want, but Julia Gillard was so elated over her carbon scheme win even her bitter fight with Kevin Rudd was forgotten as they embraced for a kiss.[/B]
As Labor, Green and independent MPs celebrated the tax passing through Parliament's Lower House yesterday, the [url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/carbon-tax-bills-pass-lower-house-of-federal-parliament/story-fn7x8me2-1226165302760]Herald Sun[/url] can reveal businesses have already been caught ripping consumers off with price gouges in its name.
The Prime Minister heralded the win as a historic moment in the fight against climate change.
But Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said the nation had been betrayed "with a kiss" - and gave a "pledge in blood" to repeal the carbon tax if he became PM.
Meanwhile, the consumer watchdog is gearing up for a carbon tax blitz to protect consumers.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims revealed some taxi drivers had already been caught trying to add a "carbon levy" to fares, while a few companies were being probed for price rises that were "just silly".
Mr Sims said the ACCC would launch a nationwide campaign and issue detailed guidelines showing what price rises would and would not be allowed.
"If anyone is putting up prices now, they're way ahead of the game," he told the Herald Sun.
"We've had a few potential cases of people saying things that are just silly, and reports of taxi drivers adding a 'carbon levy'.
If people are making claims that price rises have been caused by the carbon tax, they must be able to substantiate them."
The ACCC has been given $12.8 million to play the role of carbon cop and Mr Sims said it would make sure consumers were not ripped off by dodgy businesses wrongly blaming the carbon tax for price rises.
After 40 hours of debate and speeches by 125 of the 150 Lower House MPs, independents Rob Oakeshott, Andrew Wilkie and Tony Windsor and Green Adam Bandt voted with Labor to pass the 19 bills associated with the carbon tax.
It now needs final approval from the Senate next month, which has been guaranteed by the Greens, meaning it will begin on July 1 next year.
A jubilant Prime Minister Julia Gillard embraced and kissed many of her ministers after the legislation was passed by two votes.
"This is a significant day for the Australian nation, not only for Australians today but for the generations of children to come, who will live in a cleaner environment as a result of today's legislation," she said.
It will impose a tax starting at $23 a tonne on the 500 biggest polluters.
Electricity prices are tipped to rise by 10 per cent but overall living costs by just 0.7 per cent.
Households will receive tax cuts and welfare increases to compensate and the Government claims low-income families will be better off.
Ms Gillard said calls to delay the carbon tax would cost $5 billion and that Opposition Leader Tony Abbott would be "marooned by the tide of history".
Mr Abbott said the PM would be haunted by breaking her election promise not to have a carbon tax.
"This Prime Minister shouldn't just say sorry, she should resign," he said.
"We have witnessed the unseemly spectacle of government ministers celebrating a betrayal. They celebrated their betrayal with a kiss."
Mr Abbott stepped up his promise to repeal the tax, saying it was "a pledge in blood - this tax will go".
Greens leader Bob Brown said: "This is a great big green day for Australia."
About 85 mostly middle-aged anti-carbon tax protesters were thrown out of Parliament for repeatedly interrupting Ms Gillard during question time by chanting "no mandate, democracy is dead".[/release]
I don't want to support corrupt polititians nor mismanagement, but if people don't learn to live with less gas, once oil runs out, it will hit the world like a brick.
The more tax will be on gas, the more will be alternate/low-energy solutions favored and developed, and the longer will the actual gas reserve last.
This event of rising gas taxing might seem painful, and probably is happening for the wrong reasons, but the situation [B]will[/B] get much worse for unavoidable reasons, and this might help humanity to be a little better prepared.
If I sound stupid for asking, what exactly is "carbon" in terms of this? Like, oil, then?
[QUOTE=itak365;32747650]If I sound stupid for asking, what exactly is "carbon" in terms of this? Like, oil, then?[/QUOTE]
Fuel, which emits carbon, hence "carbon tax"
Coal, petrol, and natural gas
Okay, so the 500 biggest polluters are getting the tax, but does it actually tack on to the price of petrol?
The price gouging on day one is utterly shameless, though.
Those Independents will be so fucked in the next election. Labor and the Greens too, of course. Although we could debate about the positives and negatives of a carbon tax (there is a thread in the Mass Debate if anyone is curious), the people don't want this.
Its funny how they debate this tax in every possible way but they necer once thought of holding a referndum. its as if the people actually having a say in government is a last resort.
[QUOTE=Pace.;32748744]Its funny how they debate this tax in every possible way but they necer once thought of holding a referndum. its as if the people actually having a say in government is a last resort.[/QUOTE]
I thought referendums only occured when a change to the constitution happened? Yes, it might be nice if referendums could happen for bills that don't change the constitution, but sadly that's not the case.
[IMG]http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2011/10/12/1226164/603977-gillard-and-russ-embraced-as-carbon-tax-is-passed.jpg[/IMG]
This picture...
The price won't be introduced until July 2012, so this is just businesses jumping the gun and being cunts, blame them not the policy
[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;32745695]I don't want to support corrupt polititians nor mismanagement, but if people don't learn to live with less gas, once oil runs out, it will hit the world like a brick.
The more tax will be on gas, the more will be alternate/low-energy solutions favored and developed, and the longer will the actual gas reserve last.
This event of rising gas taxing might seem painful, and probably is happening for the wrong reasons, but the situation [B]will[/B] get much worse for unavoidable reasons, and this might help humanity to be a little better prepared.[/QUOTE]
its a tough issue, but your right, can't just let people go mad with it.
[QUOTE=Antdawg;32748791]I thought referendums only occured when a change to the constitution happened? Yes, it might be nice if referendums could happen for bills that don't change the constitution, but sadly that's not the case.[/QUOTE]
That would be terrible, and the government would grind to a halt if we had a referendum about every bill that went through government.
Companies don't want this tax (obviously), so they're running the smear stuff about it. And the liberals will support companies at the expense of people (like Tony Abbott saying people should have the right to stop mining companies from using their land, then saying they shouldn't have the right like 2 days later)
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