I’m married and my wife works, too. We don’t have kids. We’ll miss out on most of Julia Gillard’s tax sweeteners for breeders and singles. According to the government’s new Household Assistance Estimator, the Carbon Tax will cost us roughly $905 per year; our offset will be just $306. Bloody hell. Try it yourself and see how you fare. Either way, we’ll all pay at least $3.30 per week more for electricity from July 1, 2012.
Many of you will get that $172 back (and then some). Some will carry the extra costs all year until tax time like me, while others (as Giz reader John points out) will get weekly pensions, family tax benefits or other weekly payouts.
Don’t laugh, but I’m seriously starting to think about picking up some of those solar-powered iPhone chargers, backpacks and gizmos that I cover for Gizmodo. Sure, the government stresses that the calculator supplies estimates only–based on 43 common household living situations. But it gives a rough idea of how rough it will be.
Again, some of you will be better off, and more power to you (pun intended). But if the carbon tax policy is meant to be a behaviour changer, the handouts just seem kind of ridiculous to me. Maybe I’m just bitter.
I personally agree with doing something as a country for the climate. It just sucks that my back is such a disproportionately large part of that foundation. I’d like to have kids, but I’m trying to afford a house deposit, too — and nothing fancy mind you. I was just hoping for some middle ground. Perhaps you disagree. And as for the global warming debate itself: I’ll leave that for you to discuss over here. [Clean Energy Future: Household Assistance Calculator]