New research shows more than 77 percent Australians think the fuel tax credits scheme should be scrapped for mining companies.
April 27, 2012
New research shows more than 77 percent Australians think the fuel tax credits scheme should be scrapped for mining companies.
The Lonergan Research study – conducted online with 1,008 Australians from April 19-23 – also shows 86 percent of respondents think mining companies should pay the same rate of fuel tax as Australian drivers, and
91 percent believe the $2 billion given to the mining industry each year in fuel tax credits could be better spent on health and education.
Australian Conservation Foundation CEO Don Henry says the government needs to stop putting taxpayers’ money into pollution promotion and start investing in clean energy.
“Every Australian taxpayer is contributing $174 a year so companies like BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto can pay little or no tax for their fuel,” Henry says.
“While the rest of us pay 38c a litre in taxes at the bowser, these companies are mining the public purse and in the process they are making climate change worse.”
Respondents were aged 18 years or older.