Carbon tax bill inquiry

THE Scenic Rim Regional Council has launched a review to assess the impact the carbon tax will have on ratepayers.

THE Scenic Rim Regional Council has launched a review to assess the impact the carbon tax will have on ratepayers.

The council is concerned the tax may impact rates due to increased costs to council.

Scenic Rim deputy mayor Dave Cockburn said he was concerned the tax could undo the good economic work carried out by council since amalgamation.

"Since amalgamation, council has worked hard to turn around the economic position of the region to the point where both the State Government and an independent auditor has deemed us to be financially strong," he said.

"So you can understand our reluctance to embrace extra taxes."

Scenic Rim Mayor John Brent believed the region's residents would be hurt if the carbon tax forced rates up.

"Many families and businesses are already struggling with other rising state and federal government costs and don't need more pressure," he said.

Similarly, Somerset Regional Council Mayor Graeme Lehmann said his council remained uncertain about how the tax would affect them.

"A lot of the details around decisions to be made by council are in regulations we haven't seen yet," he said.

"If we knew the details we could plan for it."

Cr Lehmann said the council had made a submission in August regarding the tax's effect on landfills.

"We want a guarantee our landfills and waste management services will be exempt from the carbon tax."

He said the council was uncertain if the methane emissions of the tips themselves would be taxed, while an increase in petrol pricing would increase the collection cost across the large council area.

"We're a small council recovering from devastating flood damage in the region," Cr Lehmann said.

"We're already at a disadvantage with our waste management because of the distances involved."

Originally published as Carbon tax bill inquiry