United Future

A sick joke - we can only hope !! What's the point in hurting NZers while failing to help NZ ??

That is almost laughable. If ETS is going to affect households by rising their costs in tough times, what is that measly sum going to compensate for? Its a cheap tube of toothpaste a week. Ridiculous.

Is that about a packet of chewing gum a week... or a block of cheese a month?

I should clarify, what the proposed ETS is aiming to achieve is a good thing, but this is not the way to implement it - hitting people where it hurts. People don't have an endless supply of money to give!

Kelleigh is absolutely right. The aim is good and hard to argue against - the implementation though will hit households hard.

The point that appears to have been overlooked is that National, in signing up to Kyoto Accords, has saddled us with commitments which NZ must pay. The only choice is whether companies that create carbon emissions should pay towards the cost or taxpayers should pick up the whole tab. The ETS is an attempt to get the carbon emmitters to pay their dues.

Obviously it's going to cost transport users and householders something. But if we don't pay it as petrol users and coal consumers (which at least has the advantage of encouraging fuel conservation) then we'll have to pay it through tax. I'd rather that the big polluters paid their share too.