The National Government, with support from the Maori Party, implemented an Emissions Trading Scheme which has already imposed serious costs on all New Zealanders. Petrol and diesel prices went up by four cents per litre while electricity and gas prices have risen by five per cent, and all these are set to double by 2013. Farmers, already suffering through higher energy costs, are to become liable for biological emissions from January 2015.
New Zealand is the only country to enact an ETS in the last 7 years, and has the only scheme outside of Europe. No other country has an ETS covering all electricity and all transport fuels – “a tax on everything.” And no other country has even considered taxing food production and farming. In acting alone, New Zealand (which emits only 0.2% of global emissions) merely penalises New Zealanders while doing nothing for the environment – while our industry (and employment) moves to countries where regulations are more relaxed.
In the last parliamentary term, with, ACT’s pressure and support, the government:
• Delayed the implementation of the ETS, and held a special select committee review of the ETS;
• Attempted to produce a cost/benefit study for the ETS;
• Repealed the ban on new thermal energy generation.
In Addition:
• ACT led the campaign against the ETS both inside and outside Parliament;
• ACT challenged the faulty New Zealand temperature record put forward by government agency NIWA (now before the Courts).
ACT believes in sensible, realistic environmental policies. A Party Vote for ACT is a vote to:
• Remove the agriculture sector from the ETS legislation;
• Totally suspend the remainder of the ETS unless and until the majority of our trading partners have caught up. (It makes no sense to lead the world when the biggest carbon emitters do nothing to mitigate their emissions output);
• Review Resource Management Act requirements based on suspected future climate changes;
• Promote environmental policies based on sound science, avoiding unnecessary burdens and restrictions on our economy and those most vulnerable in times of economic crisis.