Top post from the Chair! Bit like the article in the Oz...
The AAAA estimates the carbon tax adds 6c a litre to aircraft fuel costs and has written to Julia Gillard asking for an exemption.
Mr Hurst, a former director of education for the federal Environmental Protection Agency, said this produced a response from Climate Change Minister Greg Combet that indicated the government did not understand the issues involved.
....the government doesn't understand..nah your joking right!
Hurst goes onto say...
He questioned the policy process that saw heavy road transport exempt until 2014, cars out permanently and agriculture exempt. However, it had picked on an industry unable to change its behaviour because of regulatory restrictions such as engine certification requirements that made quick changes impossible.
"It's just a tax, a grab for cash," Mr Hurst said. "Why pick on aviation? There are so many good things that the government could be doing for aviation that it's not."
And the response....
A spokesman for Mr Combet confirmed aviation fuel would be subject to an effective carbon price but said this would have only a marginal impact on operating costs of about 5c a litre in 2012-13. "This is around 3 per cent of the price of aviation gas and within the range of normal market price fluctuations," he said. "Even after the effective carbon price is extended to heavy on-road vehicles in 2014-15, the excise on aviation fuel will still be significantly less than that applying to the diesel used by trucking operators (30c a litre) or the unleaded petrol used by the ordinary motorist (38c a litre)."
The spokesman said the excise rate on aviation fuel made no distinction as to use but that the government offered a carbon price rebate on fuel used by air and sea rescue services.
It also provided $14 million a year to lease firefighting aircraft.
....ah but don't worry the bespectacled 'Boy Wonder' has got it all sorted..just blame it on the 'Mad Monk!'