Weak ETS gives taxes to polluters

By using taxes to subsidise the polluters, New Zealand is going backwards while the rest of the world goes forward, the Green Party said today.

“This is a bureaucratic way to take money from taxpayers and give to the big polluters without much environmental benefit, Green Party Climate Change Spokesperson said today.

With the support of the Maori Party, the Government has proposed sweeping changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme. These include an extension of free allocations to industry and agriculture all the way out to 2050.

“We will be committed to big handouts to big polluters for the next 40 years, in exchange for a few small concessions in the short term.

“The Maori Party used to say that the polluter should pay and now they say that polluters should get paid − when will they stand up for what they believe in?”

“There are better ways than the proposed scheme to help low-income households − like a home insulation scheme or better buses and trains,” Ms Fitzsimons said.