The Lib/Lab managers of the Cap-n-Tax Scheme have decided to give “permanent exemption to farmers”. What rot. All they have done is exempted emissions from farm animals, which should never have been part of the scheme anyway.
But modern farms do not run on bullock teams and horse power – they run on diesel trucks and tractors, coal fired electricity and carbon based fuels for cars, helicopters and quad bikes. All of these will feel the increasing costs caused by carbon taxes.
Farmers also eat, and all food costs will rise. So will the costs of cement, timber and steel.
No matter what they say, there is no exemption for anyone. All will suffer equally, but some will be more equal than others.
Barnaby is right. The only safe option is to reject every version of the Ration-N-Tax Scheme they dream up.
Viv Forbes, Chairman, The Carbon Sense Coalition, has spent his life working in exploration, mining, farming, infrastructure, financial analysis and political commentary. He has worked for government departments, private companies and now works as a private contractor and farmer.
Viv has also been a guest writer for the Asian Wall Street Journal, Business Queensland and mining newspapers. He was awarded the “Australian Adam Smith Award for Services to the Free Society” in 1988, and has written widely on political, technical and economic subjects.
