Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Action, Environment and Heritage) Share this | Hansard source

My question to the minister relates to the carbon tax on fuel for heavy trucks, which is due to take effect as of 1 July 2014. Can the minister confirm that it is the government's intention to proceed with a second phase of the carbon tax and that it is budgeted within the forward estimates to include a tax of approximately $510 million in 2014-15 alone, and does the minister dispute the evidence given to the Senate inquiry on the scrutiny of new taxes—in particular, the carbon tax pricing mechanism of Friday, 22 July 2011—by Mr Tony Sheldon the National Secretary of the Transport Workers' Union?

Mr Sheldon said that depending on the size of the vehicle and the industry sector, the carbon-tax impost 'would mean in some circumstances that people would have anything from a five per cent to a 15 per cent decrease, each year in their home, of their take-home earnings after all costs are taken out'. He was referring specifically in that context to the impact of the heavy vehicle carbon tax.

So, to summarise: would the minister confirm whether it is the government's intention to introduce a second round of carbon tax in the form of a tax on fuel for heavy trucks from 1 July 2014; that that constitutes approximately $510 million in the forward estimates for that year alone; and whether or not he agrees with the estimates by the national secretary of the TWU as to the impact on take-home pay?

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