The idea of a carbon tax certainly isnt a "tax on air". If anyone is convinced that CO2 is effectively the same as air, they are welcome to stand in a sealed box filled with it for an hour or two then report on the effects. Another way of looking at it is as a tax on byproducts of industrial processes. I assume you pay council rates for garbage disposal and there is a sewerage charge associated with your water bill; companies pay industrial refuse removalists, mechanics have procedures to collect used oil and all these have a cost associated with them. Now the refuse being produced is in gaseous form, and its somehow magically different? Those companies that minimise their production of this particular byproduct will be financially better off, those that dont will be worse off.
Making the debate about party lines, Greens/Labour/Liberal/etc is a simple way to stop thinking about the real issues and allows people who are on a particular side of politics to agree with the line taken by their party and disregard the opposing views as the rantings of those fools on the left/right/commies/hippies/merchant bankers/whatever.
with their only aim to upset the clever populace into abuse whereby the thread gets closed. Don't get sucked in by answering them directly.
Post to make a point, not answer their insane ravings.
One point would be that referring to those who hold a particular view as "the clever populace", and that those who hold a different view have "insane ravings", isnt helping advance the debate much.