Parkes Electorate households face hit under Gillard Carbon Tax
15-July-2011
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton states that households in western NSW will be forced to pay around $120 more a year for groceries, as a result of Labor’s toxic carbon tax.
“The Australian Food and Grocery Council estimates that the carbon tax will add $120 a year to household grocery bills – three times Labor’s estimate of $40,” said Mr Coulton.
“Australian Food and Grocery Council boss Kate Carnell says that Treasury’s estimate does not stack up to business reality – the cost of the carbon tax will inevitably be passed on to consumers.
“The carbon tax will cascade all down the supply chain, from farming to food processing, transport to storage, refrigeration to lighting. Food retailers and restaurants in regional and rural communities cannot control the prices charged by their suppliers, or avoid paying more for electricity.
“Higher food prices are just one of many cost increases that Labor’s carbon tax will impose on western NSW households; its own figures show that households get slugged $515 a year in their cost of living.
Mr Coulton also stated that the housing sector would receive a huge hit under the carbon tax.
“Julia Gillard’s $23-per-tonne carbon tax will add at least $5,000 to the cost of building an average new home and this is expected to flow on to the cost of existing homes,” Mr Coulton said.
“Homeowners in the Parkes electorate are already facing higher electricity costs, gas bills and water rates while rents are also rising well above inflation.
“The housing sector is dominated by small sub-contractors who will not receive any compensation under the carbon tax. These people - who are effectively being punished for being self-employed - are the big losers out of Julia Gillard’s wealth redistribution.
“The carbon tax will also cost jobs in the Australian building product manufacturing sector, which will struggle to compete with similar producers in countries with no carbon tax. Building products like kitchen cabinets and benchtops, windows and doors will all increase in price; again, for no environmental gain.
“While the carbon price will start at $23 a tonne, after three years it will float with the market and go up and up and up. Labor’s own modelling reveals that the carbon price will increase to $37 a tonne in 2020 and over $350 a tonne in 2050.”
“The most outrageous thing about Labor’s carbon tax is that the suffering of workers and families in western NSW will be for nothing – Australia’s emissions will actually increase under the carbon tax,” concluded Mr Coulton.