City of Greater Bendigo, Mount Alexander Shire Council, Macedon Ranges Shire Council, and Central Goldfields Shire Council ratepayers stand to suffer yet another hit from the carbon tax, The Nationals Senator for Victoria Bridget McKenzie said.
Clean Energy Regulator or ‘Carbon Cop’ officials have told Senator McKenzie’s Environment and Communications Committee, on top of a list of 248 entities expected to be liable to pay the carbon tax, they have written to a further 104 councils that might also be hit.
A Senate estimates hearing was told among these 104 additional councils, attached, are the City of Greater Bendigo, Mount Alexander Shire Council, Macedon Ranges Shire Council and Central Goldfields Shire
The Regulator’s Chair and CEO, Chloe Munro, told Senate Estimates that their ‘best guess’ is that, of these additional 104 local governments, about 70 will actually be liable to the carbon tax.
“All Australians will be hit with the carbon tax, particularly as a result of electricity and gas price hikes that will flow on to push up the cost of everything,” Senator McKenzie said today.
“We now know that ratepayers in Bendigo, Castlemaine, Kyneton and Maryborough could be among the many thousands of regional Australians who will also be hit indirectly simply because their council owns or uses a dump or landfill facility.
“It seems remarkable that local councils around Australia could account for around 20 per cent of those entities directly liable to pay Labor’s carbon tax.
“Labor is adding the world’s biggest carbon tax to the world’s highest electricity prices.
“The Gillard Government’s carbon tax will also mean councils have to lift their own fees and charges, increase council rates, cut services or some combination of these hits, all of which mean more pain for regional Australians at the local level.”
Senator McKenzie said only the Coalition will make scrapping the carbon tax the first order of business by a Coalition Government.
“The Coalition has demonstrated it has a strong plan for economic growth and it starts with scrapping the carbon tax.”