The government has broken another promise with its policy on electric vehicles which will hurt the poor and do nothing to reduce emissions:
The proposed penalty on ‘gas guzzling’ vehicles is a painful, regressive tax, and does zip for saving overall emissions due to transport already being in the Emissions Trading Scheme points out the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.
“This is the sort of policy you implement when you want appearances to defeat reality,” says Jordan Williams a spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Union. “This policy doesn’t even lead to lower overall emissions. The Emperor has no clothes.”
Like so much else this government does – the promise sounds good but the results won’t be.
“Ministers either don’t understand the ETS or are lying about environmental benefits of this scheme.”
Transport Minister Michael Woods claims that up to 9.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions will be ‘prevented’ by 2050. But land transport is already in the ETS. That means that every emission ‘saved’ goes elsewhere under our cap-and-trade model. It’s called the ‘waterbed effect’ and is precisely why the UN recommends against this sort of political direct intervention.
The waterbed effect is like whack-a mole – push one down here and another pops up there.
“This lack of understanding of the ETS — or deliberate greenwashing — is shocking. Ministers should be hounded by journalists for even trying to pull this line off.”
“Not only does this measure do nothing to reduce overall greenhouse gas, but it also comes at a huge cost to Labour’s traditional working-class supporters who won’t be able to afford to replace gas guzzlers.” . .
Which is worse, not understanding the ETS or deliberate greenwashing?
The former would be incompetence the latter is lying.
Either way, the policy breaks the no-more-taxes policy, helps the rich at the expense of the poor and will not reduce emissions.
Given how much coal we’re burning to generate power could increasing EV use also increase emissions?
This tweet shows how out of touch the government is about life in the real world where farmers and trades people need bigger vehicles for their work:
The Taxpayers’ Union has launched a petition to stop the tax:
The Taxpayers’ Union is set to launch a new campaign to stop Labour’s unfair, uneconomic, and unenvironmental tax scheme on family cars and utes to fund electric vehicles and the wealthy elite for zero environmental benefit.
The campaign’s petition, at CarTax.co.nz is targeting all vehicle owners who can’t afford a Tesla, or who need a car that lasts more than a few hundred kms or larger than a Nissan Leaf.
“What makes this tax scheme so unfair is that it disproportionately impacts larger families and low-income earners for whom an electric car is a pipe dream,” says Jordan Williams, a Spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Union.
“And the electric vehicle subsidies don’t even help climate change. Because transport is already under the ‘cap and trade’ Emissions Trading Scheme, any emissions saved simply appear elsewhere. It has a huge cost, but zip economic benefit.”
“The electric car rebate system is yet another example of this Government acting contrary to the advice of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Their advice is for the politicians not to intervene in parts of the economy covered by an ETS because of the ‘waterbed effect’. This environmental virtue-signalling will add a few grand to the price of a large family car. This campaign is to call out the cost and the lack of environmental benefit.”
“The Government will be taxing utes and people-movers in Otara so National Party voters in St Heliers can get eight grand off the base model Tesla. And for not a single tonne saved in New Zealand’s greenhouse emissions. Socially, environmentally, and financially, it is wrong.”
New Zealanders are encouraged to sign the petition to stop the Car Tax at www.CarTax.co.nz
Homepaddock 
Reblogged this on The Inquiring Mind and commented:
The nonsense, and stupidity behind this is breathtaking
LikeLike