Fuel tax Re: [Peakoil] News items from Canberra Times Wed, 9 Aug 2006

[Alex P]

In regard to this item,

"Petrol delusions" Letters p.10

http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=your% 
20say&subclass=general&story_id=500585&category=Letters%20to% 
20Editor&m=8&y=2006

Don Sephton writes that petrol prices will continue to go up long  
term, cutting excise will only provide short term reprieve and cause  
a revenue shortfall.

Comment: He does not mention the phrase "peak oil", nor that the  
revenue shortfall could be covered by an increase in other general  
taxes.
____________________________________
I actually think cutting fuel excise is a bad idea, it only increases 
dependency, hastening the decline of supplies and increases our trade 
imbalance. Until there is a consensus amongst all voters and especially 
politicians that Peak Oil is real, imminent, requires urgent action within 
the constraints of climate change and other limits, then cutting fuel tax 
is a distraction and will prolong the delusions. Cutting fuel tax should 
either never happen or is a once-off reward once everyone has wised up.

A moral argument for cutting fuel tax is that Governments have screwed up 
royally by failing to anticipate this situation, so ordinary people deserve 
to be let off the hook to some extent, but how far does that argument go, 
do we subsidise petrol? Roads and cars are already massively subsidised 
anyhow.

Alex
O4O4873828

ACT Peak Oil
http://act-peakoil.org



On Wed, 9 Aug 2006 11:29:12 +1000, Antony Barry <tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au> 
wrote :

> Peakers
> 
> Plenty more on petrol prices today.
> 
> I started putting out these summaries with the aim of highlighting  
> items in the Canberra Times which were relevant to peak oil with the  
> hope that members of the list might be prompted to write letters to  
> the editor about them. In this way we could increase awareness of the  
> difficulties ahead as supplies of oil start to run down.
> 
> The summaries are very brief and are just meant to highlight those  
> aspects which strike me as important. Deliberately I did not want to  
> create text which might be used in a letter as I suspect if letters  
> are too similar it might not help any of them be published.
> 
> Letters to the editor should be addressed  to  
> letters.editor at canberratimes.com.au and should not exceed 250 words.
> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
> 
> "Prepare for $1.80 a litre: NRMA" by Andrew Fraser. P1. Headline
> 
> NRMA says Australia faces a fuels crisis and needs to wean itself off  
> international oil. Alternative fuels supported. Comment by a number  
> of politicians follow.
> 
> http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp? 
> class=news&subclass=general&story_id=500591&category=general&m=8&y=2006
> 
> Comment: Peak oil not mentioned. The concern seemed to be more with  
> profits oil companies might be making. This misses the long term  
> problem.
> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
> 
> 
> "Environment would benefit from busway, report says" by Graham Downie  
> p7.
> 
> A preliminary assessment says busway's wider environmental objectives  
> would outweigh its local impact. Stanhope says busway not funded yet  
> and might not be needed for 30 years.
> 
> Comment: By the time it is built peak oil will have cut in, traffic  
> volumes will be down and it won't be needed.
> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
> 
> Look at the cartoon p.10 :-)
> http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/opinion.asp?class=your% 
> 20say&subclass=general&story_id=500598&category=Opinion% 
> 20Cartoon&m=12&y=1899
> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
> 
> 
> "Petrol delusions" Letters p.10
> 
> http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=your% 
> 20say&subclass=general&story_id=500585&category=Letters%20to% 
> 20Editor&m=8&y=2006
> 
> Don Sephton writes that petrol prices will continue to go up long  
> term, cutting excise will only provide short term reprieve and cause  
> a revenue shortfall.
> 
> Comment: He does not mention the phrase "peak oil", nor that the  
> revenue shortfall could be covered by an increase in other general  
> taxes.
> 
> Tom Waring writes that Howard tries to avoid responsibility and  
> blames Middle East troubles and lack of an alternative fuels policy.
> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
> 
> 
> "Construction of dragway right off taxpayers' track" by Christine  
> Downie p.11
> 
> Expenditure on the dargway is a subsidy which should be spent on  
> other things.
> 
> Comment: Does not mention peak oil.
> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
> 
> 
> "Bumpy road tipped on longh, tough fuel-price cycle: by Simon Grose p.11
> 
> Discusses ABARE and Bakhtiari's evidence to the Senate Committee  
> inquiry on peak oil which say radically different things about  
> prices. ABARE for instance expects lower prices in the next five  
> years because of increase in production.
> 
> Comment: Decline in existing fields will take place faster than new  
> production is brought online. The second biggest field has peaked  
> (Cantrell) and the biggest, Ghawar, as Bakhtiari's says is in trouble.
> _._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
> 
> 
> Tony
> 
> 
> Feral Librarian | http://tony-barry.emu.id.au
> P: 02 6241 7659 | tony at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au
> M: 04 1242 0397 | tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Peakoil mailing list
> You are subscribed as alex-po at trevbus.org
> http://act-peakoil.org/cgi-bin/mailman/options/peakoil/alex-po%
40trevbus.org
> 
> 
>