Taxing the Heart out of Australia
By Viv Forbes
May 3, 2010
The Carbon Sense Coalition today claimed that the Rudd Resource tax was just another in a long line of taxes helping to depopulate rural Australia.
The Chairman of “Carbon Sense,” Mr. Viv Forbes, said that depopulation of the outback started with the fringe benefits tax and the removal of accelerated depreciation, both of which penalise companies who provide housing for employees.
“Every government since then has accelerated the drift to the coastal and capital cities.”
“The heavy burdens of excessive fuel taxes, coal royalties, rail freights and infrastructure bottlenecks have for years restricted the development of the outback resource industry. Only deposits that are rich or close to the coast can pay their way, which is why the Galilee Basin has been undeveloped for so long.”
“The vegetation control bans, water mismanagement and growth of carbon credit forests are depressing agriculture and will depopulate rural towns.”
“Humans and their industries are also prohibited from vast areas of our land and sea sterilised by a confusing mixture of exclusion zones. And the lack and high cost of outback infrastructure has fed the fly-in mentality of industry and governments.”
“Had the money wasted just on roof insulation been spent on new infrastructure, Australia would be a more decentralised and productive place.”
“The climate alarmists urge still more carbon taxes and force the usage of expensive alternative energy. All outback industry relies almost totally on carbon fuels for motive power. None of our quad bikes, cars, trucks, road trains, tractors, dozers, trains, planes or ships are powered by solar panels or wind turbines – they need diesel, petrol, gas and electricity (from coal). And our biggest outback industries are focussed on exploring, developing, supplying or transporting carbon products. Coal, gas, oil, beef, sheep, dairy and timber are all threatened by more carbon taxes.”
“The Rudd Resource tax is yet another centralising force, depressing outback industry and stimulating the population of drones around the government honey pots in Canberra. It increases the risk that the belated rush to build infrastructure will leave new trains without freight and new ports without ships.”
“Taxes are creating ‘A Nation without a Heart’.”
Viv Forbes
Chairman, The Carbon Sense Coalition
Rosevale, Qld, Australia
3rd May 2010
www.carbon-sense.com
Phone: 07 5464 0533
Email: Info@carbon-sense.com
PDF version: http://carbon-sense.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/taxing-the-outback.pdf [10KB]
Taxing the Heart out of Australia by Viv Forbes
Disclosure: Mr. Forbes is a geologist, mineral economist and pasture manager with long experience of Australian outback life and industry. He and his wife breed cattle and sheep on their property at Rosevale. He is also a non-executive director and shareholder of a small coal exploration company.
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