Pain of ETS will do no good

Power transmission lines at sunset. Note the subtle hint of greenhouse gases,
which are never actually visible.

When will we fight it?

John Boscawen, Act List MP, today issued this press release.

Genesis Energy Confirms Price Increase

New Zealanders can definitely expect to have to pay more for power from July 1, with Genesis Energy CEO Albert Brantley’s confirmation before the Finance Select Committee today that his company “will recover the cost” of complying with the Government’s Emissions Trading Scheme, ACT New Zealand ETS spokesman John Boscawen said today.

“And it is not only the cost of electricity that will increase, but that of petrol and industrial processes as well. The cost of basic food items – such as bread and milk – will also rise as the increase in electricity filters through the economy,” Mr Boscawen said.

“Kiwi families are facing massive price increases and a lower standard of living for no other reason than the Government’s desire to be seen as a world leader heading into the Copenhagen summit.

“But the summit was a failure, and now New Zealand is the only county to implement an all sectors, all gases tax. Not one of our three major trading partners – Australia, the US or China – has implemented an ETS, nor are they likely to.

It is time the Government acknowledges that it is out of step with the international community, and puts the ETS on hold. The pressure on low-income families, the cost in reduced incomes and lost job opportunities is entirely avoidable. It’s not too late to stop,” Mr Boscawen said.

Taxing the air we breathe

No doubt the government is pleased finally to have found a pretext for taxing the very air we breathe. This makes taxation very simple and in future they can avoid straining their creativity trying to arrange for ever greater interference in our lives and increasing their regulation of innocent pleasures. This interference, restricting the innocent pleasure of breathing out, is superlative, for it comes closer to the tyrant’s dream of relentless restraint of the population than any measure before it.

But the price we are to pay for this folly is unacceptable.

No alternative to electricity

All families will now suffer lower standards of living, because no compensating increase in output will occur, there will be no greater efficiency, no improved use of natural resources will accrue to anybody from this insensitive tax and wages will not rise.

Instead, our power utilities — some of the largest companies in the country — which now raise their prices at will after failed reforms that promised to reduce prices, will be permitted to levy us even more for our use of the unique and indispensable agent that brings all the advantages of modern technology to ease, brighten and enlighten our lives.

Most modern governments attempt to improve the conditions of the lives of its citizens. Measures which might involve short-term hardship, such as the introduction of a Goods and Services Tax, for example, would be expected eventually to achieve some improvement in the economy.

Deliberately harmful with no good intention

Even a negative effect might be welcomed, such as the tax on tobacco leading to lower consumption of a harmful substance.

But no such considerations can comfort us over the ETS. Here we have the leadership of a modern nation consciously deciding to reduce the nation’s standard of living for no actual benefit. Ever.

Pandering to middle-class European guilt

The ETS is openly acknowledged to be just a symbolic gesture, for the sake of appeasing our trading partners, that will have no effect upon the climate. We contribute just 0.2% to humanity’s emissions of greenhouse gases and no other country has an all-sectors, all-gases regime.

It is pure ignorance to ruin the living standards of hard-working Kiwis just to pander to the guilt of middle-class German greenies. We should tell them to pull their heads in and we’ll sell our wine and meat to nice people, like the Argentinians, who at least play rugby.

Tide is turning

I usually vote National, but even I’m starting to wonder when we will stand up to these green National nitwits tyrants. They have New Zealand fighting “global warming” all by itself. And we’re paying for it.

The tide is turning, and polls show that more people than ever doubt that global warming is caused by human activities. National did well to win the last election and I was pleased; if they continue insensitively stomping ahead with their ETS, they will not avoid defeat in the next election but I shall again be pleased.

Workhouses date from 17th Century England. They represent probably the worst way to deal with poverty and lack of education, but they highlight the fact that when large numbers of people get into poverty, it’s because of the general conditions in society, which means the government caused it. One can choose poverty in the midst of plenty, but the numbers who do so are usually tiny. When numbers are large, as this picture would attest, conditions for it must be generally good. That is bad. Could we be heading in that direction?

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