‘Give us our tax back’: Call to reinvest carbon price revenue in city

By Michelle Herbison
FEDERAL Government should use carbon tax revenue from Geelong to fund local infrastructure projects, according to Urban Development Institute of Australia.
UDIA executive director Tony de Domenico said the Government should spend carbon tax funds on projects to reduce carbon emissions.
“Should any companies in Geelong like Shell, Ford and other big companies be paying the carbon tax, perhaps the amount they’re putting into the Federal Government ought to be used to spend on infrastructure in Geelong,” he said.
“Then the money is being spent where it is coming from and not dispersed into consolidated revenue.”
Mr de Domenico said a second bridge over Melbourne’s Yarra River to service Geelong commuters would ease traffic issues, reducing emissions.
“If we spent money attracting more business and employment into Geelong there might be less traffic and it will be more sustainable.”
Mr de Domenico said the Government should consider building infrastructure to reduce its carbon footprint if the tax was intended to reduce carbon emissions.
“The carbon tax is an additional tax that wasn’t there last year. If the Government wants to cut costs it can do that elsewhere but then it should spend the new taxes on specific programs.”
Federal Labor Member for Corio Richard Marles said carbon tax revenue was “already being redirected” to households, business and investment in clean energy.
This week Alcoa’s Point Henry aluminium smelter received $69 million in free permits, he said.
“The Geelong community is also in a position to make the most of funding opportunities from the $10 Clean Energy Finance Corporation and $3.2 billion Australia Renewable Energy Agency.”
Liberal Western Victoria Senator Michael Ronaldson said the Coalition’s “direct action plan” would provide incentives for people to reduce emissions rather than impose a tax.
“The coalition won’t need to redirect money collected from a carbon tax because we will abolish the toxic carbon tax.
“We will purchase abatement at the lowest price such as carbon farming, cleaning up power stations and capturing landfill gas. As an example, instead of taxing council tips we will provide incentives for councils to capture the methane from landfills.”