Sadly I can think of nothing that this new tax is not going to affect. Power prices will skyrocket and that cost must be passed on to all users. That means that even your McDonalds cheeseburger is likely to rise to cover the increased costs to all the producers along the line. That goes for your cheap sausages too from the butcher. It will cost them more to produce.

As we received all of $50, which is more than some I admit, in bonus payment which won't go anywhere near covering the rise in electricity to us before the costs that will rise on everything else in life I am on the must cut things plan.

Some of this will cost me a little to start with but will save longterm. My bedside light will go and be replaced with a solar lamp that I can put out during the day to recharge. Will see if I can replace some of the internal lighting with them as well such as the bathroom, kids rooms. They will have the added advantage of being portable and able to be taken on camping trips.

Cooking in the house is minimal now with the use of the wood fire to cook on. Stews and such taste much better anyway over a wood fire. Also helps me get the paddocks cleaned up.

Hot water is already solar powered. Only power points in use at the time are turned on. Television is only on if someone is sitting in front of it and actively watching it.

Car driving is being limited to necessary only trips. I am looking into being able to run my diesel car on used oil instead.

Heating is banned. Shower earlier in the day when it is warmer so you won't be so cold when you get out. Put on a jumper, put a rug over your legs to watch tele. Go to bed to read.

Vege garden is going well. I will end with surplus to swap with farmer mates for things they can grow easier, more of.

I am looking into putting in a solar system big enough to run the smaller things in the house and upgrading it as money allows to run the entire house. Just need the money for that one. In the meantime I can run on 12v lighting if need be or portable solar devices. Hubby can set up the 12v lighting and solar system. We only ever use to have solar, many years ago until the kids came along and we could't afford to upgrade it to cope with the demand.

Do you have plans on saving money now with this new tax?

Couldnt agree with you more my friend.One of the biggest con jobs on the Australian people ever!Unfortunately your going to just have to buy extra blankets to keep warm,grow the hair under your arms and look forward to living in a cave in the future.

Wow someone has been roped into Abbott's scare campaign...

Personally I feel that the carbon tax is a little pointless at the moment due to the fact that it doesn't go far enough, we are exporting immense amounts of 'carbon' for other nations to burn, and many other countries aren't really committing to adequate targets.

That being said, how about you guys wait and see if the carbon tax really does cause these extreme negative changes that you claim. Many of you may be surprised to find that it's nothing close to what you think.

No roped into any campaigns for me. I am a realist.

Please explain to me how prices can not rise. I can not see how they can't.

I will use your humble pork sausage for example. A very basic example with lots of cost increases missed.

Start with a pig.
Pig needs water. Water involves use of electric pump to bring water to pig.

Pig needs pen cleaned. Water again, more power to pump water.

Pig is costing more to produce the same animal. Farmer also has more costs to keep his family going and must increase cost to the next on the chain to have the same money he did before tax.

Pig goes to killers, killers are charging more per carcase because their cost of power has risen by so much. If you know anything about killing/eating meat you will know it goes into a very big fridge to hang for a few days or weeks depending on the meat. Fridges cost lots of money to run. More power cost.

Pig ends up at butcher. Butcher has higher power bills. Butcher has to store the meat, grind it, add the flavouring/preservative, mix it, push it through sausage filler. Apart from adding the flavouring it all uses power, costlier than before power.

Those flavourings/herbs were grown by another farmer who has had the same cost increase he needs to recoup. So did the factory he sold them to to make them into an usable product by the butcher.

Now the butcher has made those sausages he has to keep them cold. That is more power at the costlier price.

Please tell me who is going to absorb those costs? Who can afford not to pass them on?

As I said, I am sure I have missed power consuming steps in the making of your breakfast sausage. Should we discuss the rise that will happen in the cost of bread? The butter for your bread?

Now I have explained how I see this tax affecting us can you explain how you don't see it happening?

It's not just a one off cost of power consumption used in the home that will cost, every step along the way will add to the cost of that pork sausage or anything else, Woolies and Coles will have to pay more to refrigerate it, keep the lights on, airconditioning, powering a cash register, printing advertising etc etc etc. Each step in the chain of production will be taxed by the use of electricity from production to the end product and retail of the product, the choice for business is either to absorb the cost and suffer a loss of income or to pass it on to the consumer. it doesn't take a genius to work out what the end result will be , go broke or survive?

What really get's me tho is that the people that back this on environmental grounds seem not to realise that it achieves absolutely nothing except a boost to Labors coffers all paid for by average Australians, the myth of big business footing the bill is exactly that and is proven by the very fact that the Guvmint is compensating family's in advance.

Meanwhile we will be exporting around 10% of this tax overseas to the U.N to supplement the likes of China, Iran and North korea's laughable green schemes while at the same time sanctioning them on the treatment of their civilians, seriously you couldn't make this [censored] up and be believed but it is actually happening.

For those interested do a little research on Agenda 21 , it's all there in black and white and was signed off on by Paul Keating 20 yrs ago this year. Developed by the likes of Maurice Strong and fellow cronies. I can remember my grandfather saying that if the polly's could tax the air we breathe they would....

Underlying inflation will be the big winner. Government suggest prices will increase around 1c/2c in the dollar yet we are being told that essentials are going up 5%/10% even 20% (in conjunction with 1/7/12 fixed price increases - eg Health Care, Gas, Electricity). Companies whinged and whined about the GST and seemed to absorb it ok, don't see why the same wont happen when the Carbon Price goes live.

Prior to GFC our inflation rate was tracking between 4 & 4.5%. GFC pricked the inflation bubble yet non-discretionary prices rise above CPI. Once the soverign risk problems are solved (could take a decade) then the biggest issue this country will have is tackling accelerated inflation rates, not the Carbon Price.

The gst replaced the old sales tax to which none of us really new what we are paying???
The Carbon Tax is a new and insidious waste of time that will achieve nothing...

Personally, I see the overseas companies being the big winners. I see Australians as the big losers.

There is no way that companies can absorb the costs. Please don't try to tell me prices didn't rise with the GST.

What I see happening is the average Aussie who may have spent the few cents more on an Australian product before will no longer be able to justify the huge increase in their budget just to support Australians and Australian manufacture/processing. So they will toddle off to the renowned Aldi store where things are cheaper. Why pay $2.15 (previously $1.99) for your tin of Aussie tomatoes when you can buy Italian/Spanish/Chinese tomatoes for $1.25 there. The support our farmers and processors had has just been wiped out by the new tax.

No wonder the leaders of other countries have congratulated our stupid government. Our government has done more for their economies and unemployment rates than they could ever do, they just need to wait for it to filter or perhaps flood through to them.

I will continue to support out Aussie growers/processors because I do not want to eat the trash another country won't. I do not want to eat food grown in human excretement. I do not want to eat fish grown in what is called the 'Sewer of Asia'. I do not want to eat food bathed in chemicals long banned for application here.

If that means that I balance my budget by burning wood and creating more green house gas than using power would then that is tough luck. My family and my fellow Australians come before any govt policy designed to drive people into the ground.

Not only have they stolen by legislation the property I am paying the mortgage and rates on in the name of 'Green policy' they are now taxing us into oblivion.

I may have felt slightly differently if the powers that be were not so busy jetsetting off to see the world on our taxes, creating lots of green house gas doing so, or had half a clue how the average family lives.

Oddly enough, when I was younger I was much greener. Thank god we built our house to be environmentally friendly and to use minimal power to start with, enough room to grow some of our own food. So glad I am so old fashioned I can preserve our food we do have, make a meal from next to nothing.

Now I am off to check out how many roos are in the paddock. Roo meat is supposed to be good for you.

Ok, I am joking about eating them or harming them. Our place is an unofficial wildlife sanctuary.

From the gov't website



I think that this is an admission by the govt that it isn't just power prices that will rise.

Since our share of the assistance, which as I said is more than some got, was $50 that leaves us with a deficit of nearly $10 a week. That money could pay for 2 months worth of meat at current prices, 3 months or so power bill, a months groceries.

Some items went up, a lot came down...You dont have to pay GST on a lot of items and services... Just offer cash... The black economy is thriving..

I dont think we aussies would complain about coughing up an extra $100 a yr each if the money went directly into programmes that had a positive impact on "climate change" or "global warming" or "dangerous rises in co2" (choose your favourite ) etc etc. However i am yet to have it explained to me how a carbon tax or ets achieves such. There are so many possibilities open to administrations to creat good positive outcomes for our little planet but it is clear that governments do not really care. That right there is the real crying shame. However increasing the take from the punters....now that gets their attention. And what an opportunity to blur the two.

I think it's worthwhile finding out exactly what the carbon tax is all about.

This website explains the carbon tax

http://www.bigpondmoney.com.au/the-carbon-tax-at-a-glance

Tony Abbott explains the carbon tax

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckcH0Wrmy74&feature=player_detailpage

Complete waste of time and money, does nothing for the world-wide CO2 levels so insignificant won't evemn matter, not that Co2 does much except benefit plant life anyway! Just moves money around, government get more money, biog admion cost, we all lose, industry big and small ,loses & puts up costs, value of carbon credits is falling rapidly world-wide...what a huge huge huge mess they are giving us!!!...for nothing!!!

That was my major gripe with it, I dont mind donating my money to the carbon tax if 100% was to be directed into developing clean energy solutions. But I think we all know thats not going to happen. 10 years down the road we will be in the exact same boat as we are today, just we will be paying through our noses for it.

We are being used as cash cows of the world, high interest rates for houses that are too expensive, and now a carbon tax. Instead of the government actually working on a solution like they would have in the 1960's when people were sent to the moon and the Snowy Hydro was built, they just tax the essentials and hope that by some miracle that the energy source changes all by itself. Yes right, great plan that one (*not).

Did the Carbon Tax cause the Melbourne earthquake?

video

http://www.independentaustralia.net/2012/politics/did-the-carbon-tax-cause-the-melbourne-earthquake/

What environmentalists can learn from conservatives:

Wealthier is healthier and cleaner. Until people are wealthy, they will consume environmental resources without much regard to aesthetics or future generations. Making people wealthier is the ultimate environmental act.

Societies that foster “freedom, opportunity, and enterprise” enrich themselves more quickly, and empower people to express their diverse values effectively, including environmental values. Social structures that divorce people from individual responsibility do exactly the opposite. Freeing up markets is an environmental act.

One should be cautious in intervening in complex economic systems, as one can easily trigger unintended consequences that do more harm than good.

Humility should be the rule when it comes to models and forecasting of environmental trends, health damage, economic impacts, or job impacts.

Markets are better than mandates.

http://www.aei.org/speech/energy-and-the...and-vice-versa/

Your right there mate but with one small condition to it. That the government would not be in control of the funding as most of it would be wasted in commitys and inquiries that would not result in anything coming from the money that would be raised. Take the fund that KRudd set up to find and invest in for future energy and carbon storage etc. They were funded some huge amount and wasted most of it. When audited, the head of the group came up with the line that they had too much funding to know how to spend it all..... Well here's a thought...... Don't spend it all every year but stockpile what is left over so that IF you find a great potential energy you can fund it to the hilt! These people were going out and spending huge amounts on travel and the other typical ways that govt find to waste money but were also funding overseas projects that would not even help us!

Yep I for one even with my deep skepticism of the AGW theory would gladly pay a $100 dollar/year levy to find an alternative to oil. It is the one thing that holds our whole country to ransom by being price takers rather than price setters and we are left in the proverbial in a major war scenario.

We need a new energy for transport over our huge landmass and for our farms to grow crops. We will be facing a much bigger problem and one which could bite us much sooner than any doomsdayer would have you believe global warming will get stuck into us. And that is the up coming shortage of oil and fuel that comes from it. This will push the price of every thing even higher than the carbon tax and nothing will be spared unless it is shipped via horse and cart! Our whole agriculture system is addicted to diesel along with mining as well as our transport industry. We would be feeling the pinch already if not for the financial crisis hitting most of the developed word ATM. Once they recover, and demand from them rises again, we will se fuel prices shoot us again and wars will be fought over oil even more than now. We MUST find a alternative to oil very soon or we will be starving. From a farmers point of view, I did not plant crops this year as the price is so low that for me it was not worth the risk. While the price is not going to be as lowas it is now for ever, it is loosing pace with imput costs and I would suggest that unless something big happens, cropping will cease to be viable for a lot of aussie farmers within the next decade. There will be years where the price will be worth the risk but I think that in the longer term cropping in Australia will be a thing of the past.

Wow, that is the most confused statement I think I have ever read!

In case you haven't noticed, it's the wealthiest nations consuming the world's resources as fast as they can be pulled out of the ground or oceans, clearly with little regard to future generations or the environment. And the poorer nations are willingly being plundered with the dangled carrot that they too can become rich by selling their resources to the wealthy nations.

You do realise the wealthiest nations are actually drowning in debt so enormous it can't possibly ever be paid back, don't you?? And that the vast majority of that "money" isn't even real? Money in the wrong hands truly is the root of all evil, and if you can't see that yet, you will before long.

There's a whole other world of news and information out there if you turn off your self-serving wealthy corporation variety...

would happen if Earth plunged into an Ice Age this year, I wonder if Gillard would claim credit for ending so called AGW when half the planet is frozen over.