Australians could soon be facing a new carbon tax on petrol, diesel and aviation fuels, as Labor investigates more ways to tax Australian families and businesses amid a cost-of-living and fuel crisis.
Leader of The Nationals Matt Canavan said Labor’s consultation paper on securing liquid fuels points towards a new fuel carbon tax as the ‘most favourable’ new tax.
“Chris Bowen’s answer to our fuel crisis is to resuscitate a Labor carbon tax on fuels, devastating families and businesses who are already struggling under Labor’s cost-of-living crisis,” Senator Canavan said.
“As Labor’s own consultation paper states, costs will be imposed on trade-exposed sectors, regional and remote communities.
“The report, Securing Australia’s Cleaner Fuels Industry: Consultation paper on a demand mechanism, suggests that importing more fuel, rather than looking at Australian production pathways, could be more ‘cost-competitive’, depending on future import prices.
“Labor’s net zero scam is not a transition – it is a transfer of wealth from Australian families and a transfer of jobs from our country to overseas.
“Labor’s answer to our fuel crisis is not just more tax on our petrol for Australian families and businesses, but also a forced reliance on other nations for our fuel security.
“Labor would rather tax families extra for petrol and go begging, cap in hand, to other countries for fuel, instead of relying on our own resources and creating our own fuel security.
“This means more industries closing, more jobs and manufacturing offshore, and an enormous burden all along our food supply chain.
“Families are already struggling with escalating power bills, lack of housing supply and our living standards going backwards, but instead of Labor admitting its net zero plan has failed, it is doubling down and forcing its disastrous agenda onto all Australians, which will just make everyone poorer and life even harder.”
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Bridget McKenzie said Labor’s proposed new carbon tax and credits trading scheme will further punish Australians who drive petrol and diesel vehicles, targeting those who cannot afford to buy a new taxpayer subsidised EV.
“The Coalition has consistently supported an all technologies approach to lowering transport emissions, including biofuels, which have a role to play in enhancing fuel security and supporting Australian industries,” Senator McKenzie said.
“Now Labor wants to hit motorists with yet another tax each time they fill up.
“The Government’s own document makes it very clear who will pay for this new carbon tax on fuel, and that is the end consumer.”
Senator McKenzie said the Government needs to come clean on the higher costs its hidden modelling shows this new fuel tax would impose on the community.
Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Dan Tehan said that you don’t boost Australia’s fuel security by introducing new taxes.
“Yet that’s exactly what Labor is setting up to do, with their so-called carbon-intensity standard – which is just a fancy name for a massive new carbon tax,” Mr Tehan said.
“Labor’s spending is out of control; they have just hit $1 trillion in debt and now they want to make fuel more expensive. Only Chris Bowen would think this makes sense.
“The consultation paper specifically says that it is “not possible” to figure out by how much emissions would be reduced where there is an overlap between Labor’s new fuel tax and the Safeguard Mechanism.
“So Labor is setting up a new carbon tax but can’t even say by how emissions would be reduced, which is their primary aim.”
