CANBERRA: The carbon price is to be introduced into Australia’s Parliament next month and should be law by the end of the year, federal government announced on Wednesday, according to a Xinhua news report.
Despite wide-spread opposition to the tax, Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said the federal government is keen to get the legislation through both houses of parliament before Christmas, so it can stick to its timetable of having it take effect on July 1, next year.
“I’ll be bringing the legislation into the House of Reps in September,” Combet told Sky News on Wednesday morning.
Under the scheme, Australia’s 500 highest-polluting companies will pay US$24 for every tonne of carbon pollution they emit from July 1 next year. Households will get tax cuts and entitlement boosts to offset higher power and other costs.
Latest Nielsen poll also showed voter support for a price on pollution remains entrenched in the negative. Those against the plan are steady on 56 percent and those in support at 39 percent.
On Tuesday, about 2,000 Australians protested against the carbon tax outside Parliament House in Canberra. The crowd demanded to the government to scrap the carbon tax, as well as an early election.