Topics tagged with 'Tax'
Obama optimistic on climate bill despite senate rifts
2 Jul 2010
US President Barack Obama spent 90 minutes trying to convince senators to move forward with climate change legislation yesterday … and came away optimistic that a climate bill can be passed in spite of rifts.
UK must take radical action, warns watchdog
2 Jul 2010
Britain needs to build twice as many wind farms every year, put more than a million electric cars on the road and insulate every home in the country in order to meet ambitious legally binding climate change targets, Government advisers have warned.
Govt fails to provide climate-friendly choices, say Greens
2 Jul 2010
The John Key Government has failed to provide climate-friendly choices to help households avoid the higher costs that could result from their Emissions Trading Scheme, says the Green Party.
Carbon trading heads off oil in Europe
25 Jun 2010
Carbon emissions early this year overtook Brent crude oil to become the largest commodity type traded in Europe.
Taxpayers face $1.1 billion Kyoto liability, say authors
25 Jun 2010
New Zealand’s failure to reduce emissions to its Kyoto Protocol target means the taxpayer still faces a $1.1 billion net liability after all the ETS charges have been paid.
Company tax cut puts $21m on Vector's books
18 Jun 2010
The company tax rate cut from 30 per cent to 28 per cent will provide energy company Vector with a one-off $21 million net profit benefit.
Danes at centre of European tax fraud
18 Jun 2010
A tax scandal rocking the global carbon markets is emanating from Copenhagen, the city that six months ago hosted the world's largest climate summit.
NZUs continue to be well bid
18 Jun 2010
With less than two weeks until July 1, when emitters start coming into the Emissions Trading Scheme, interest in the New Zealand market continues to grow, says broker OMFinancial.
Americans begin to worry again
11 Jun 2010
Public concern about global warming is again on the rise in the United States, according to a survey just released by researchers at Yale and George Mason universities.
US climate bill key to Pacific carbon market
4 Jun 2010
A former New Zealand Government official who chaired some of the meetings at the Copenhagen climate change talks says that a move by the United States into a cap-and-trade scheme could lead to a Pacific-wide carbon market.
...and what Federated Farmers says about sheep farms and the ETS
4 Jun 2010
Federated Farmers says New Zealand will have to sell an extra 4.7 million lambs to offset the cost of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Obama vows to fight for climate bill
4 Jun 2010
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill should inspire the US to cut its reliance on fossil fuels, President Obama said this week, issuing his strongest promise yet to fight for Senate passage of a climate bill.
Garnaut: Carbon tax better than nothing
21 May 2010
The architect of Australia’s dumped emissions trading scheme has called for an interim carbon tax to be imposed.
Should we have tax cuts or extend emissions subsidies beyond 95%?
14 May 2010
ANALYSIS: Now the Government has shut the front door on delaying the ETS, the country’s largest emitters are knocking on the back one to get more free emission credits.
Australia votes $652m for renewable energy
14 May 2010
Australia has announced a $A652 million fund for renewable energy, two weeks after it shelved its carbon trading legislation.
How Tokyo became first cap-and-trade city
14 May 2010
Seeking to shrink its Portugal-sized carbon footprint, Tokyo has become the first cap-and-trade city.
China looks likely to levy carbon tax
14 May 2010
China is likely to levy a carbon tax, an environmental tax that is paid for carbon emissions, on its enterprises around 2012, in a bid to encourage the country's energy saving and environmentally friendly industries, the daily Economic Information says.
Westpac move signals carbon is growing up
7 May 2010
Westpac has entered the New Zealand carbon market in a move being welcomed as a sign that carbon is becoming mainstream.
Aussie states could run own ETS, says minister
30 Apr 2010
Australian states have been told they could run their own carbon trading scheme, now the Federal Government has postponed its proposed Emissions Trading Scheme.
Proceeding with ETS ill advised, says EMA Northern
30 Apr 2010
The Government should follow Australia's decision and delay the implementing of its emissions trading scheme until they introduce theirs, the Employers & Manufacturers Association (Northern) says.
Suspend the ETS until 2013, says farmers' lobby
30 Apr 2010
Federated Farmers is urging the National-led Government to match the Australian Government's decision to defer its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) until at least 2013.
Senators book Earth Day for new energy plan
16 Apr 2010
Senators working on an energy plan for the United States say they are on track to release their proposals on Earth Day, April 22.
Coal the fuel of the future, Congress told
16 Apr 2010
Executives from the world's largest coal companies told Congress yesterday their industry is providing the fuel of the future.
Washington simmers over proposed US fuel tax
9 Apr 2010
A row is brewing in Washington over whether revenue raised through a proposed tax on road fuel should be spent on low carbon projects.
UK poll rivals agree to agree on climate
9 Apr 2010
The three main parties in the UK general election in four weeks agree on at least two things - that humanity is causing global warming and that urgent action must be taken to combat it.
Kiwi dollars might fund overseas research
1 Apr 2010
Part of the $45 million the Government has pledged to the Global Research Alliance on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions could be spent on research in other countries.
Climate change faces the trillion-dollar question
1 Apr 2010
Political and business leaders gather in London today to try to revive the world's faltering challenge to global warming.
Repentant Pachauri slips into neutral
1 Apr 2010
The outspoken chairman of the UN’s climate change body is to adopt a neutral advisory role and has agreed to stop making statements demanding new taxes and other radical policies on cutting emissions.
France bids au revoir to carbon tax
26 Mar 2010
France has abandoned plans to unilaterally introduce a tax on greenhouse gas emissions in a move hailed by industry but criticised by environmentalists.
Battle over California climate law takes shape
19 Mar 2010
The campaign to put suspension of California's climate change law before voters in November started taking shape this week as warring parties revealed key sources of funding and traded barbs over the nature of their financial support.
Arrogance undid Copenhagen summit, says Stern
19 Mar 2010
The "disappointing" outcome of December's climate summit was largely down to "arrogance" on the part of rich countries, according to Lord Stern.
EXCLUSIVE: Why it's not worth planting trees
12 Mar 2010
A consultant is calling on the Government to underwrite the risk of accidental harvest of trees and to guarantee forest owners a minimum price for carbon under the emissions trading scheme.
Big Oil asks Senate for carbon fee on industry
5 Mar 2010
Key United States senators are weighing a request from Big Oil to levy a carbon fee on the industry rather than wrap it into a sweeping cap-and-trade system that covers most of the nation’s economy.
UK adviser calls for carbon tax on China
5 Mar 2010
Britain should consider a carbon tax on imports to help struggling manufacturers, according to one of the government's key advisers, despite fears such a measure could lead to a global trade war.
Houses with low energy efficiency will lose value
5 Mar 2010
British homes with low energy efficiency will lose value under government plans to intervene in the property market to help to cut greenhouse gas emissions from homes by a third by 2020.
Aussie trading scheme bogs down again
26 Feb 2010
The Australian government's emissions trading scheme is again bogged down in parliament and now might not go to a vote in the Senate until May.
Korea floats carbon tax plan ... among others
19 Feb 2010
The Korean government is studying ways to introduce a carbon tax and other strong measures to reduce carbon emissions.
US diddles while China sizzles
19 Feb 2010
By Nick Hodge.- The United States is rarely referred to as a silver-medal nation. But that's exactly what it's becoming with respect to the race for clean energy.
US looks at other ways to limit gas emissions
12 Feb 2010
With climate change legislation all but dead for the year, the United States is looking at scaled down ways to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
How green policies could move UK out of the red
12 Feb 2010
Britain could slash its deficit by £12bn a year by scrapping tax breaks for carbon-intensive industries and halting investment in projects that will increase carbon emissions, according to a new study.
Pachauri toughs it out as pressure grows
12 Feb 2010
A couple of years ago, Rajendra Pachauri seemed destined for a scientist’s version of sainthood.
Personal carbon credit deal earns couple $17
12 Feb 2010
A Pennsylvania couple who invested $58,000 in solar panels have earned the world's first carbon credit for reducing personal emissions … and are $17.20 better off.
Rudd and Abbott trade blows over climate schemes
5 Feb 2010
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has seized on an admission by a top economist commissioned to cost Opposition leader Tony Abbott's rival climate change plan that the country needs an emissions trading scheme.
UK will pay people for wind and solar power
5 Feb 2010
Britain soon will being paying homeowners who produce low-carbon power such as solar or wind.
Government goes quiet on clean-tech action plea
22 Jan 2010
A group of leading business people pushing for leadership on clean-tech development says Government reaction has been luke-warm.
Aussie Greens want $20b carbon tax to break ETS impasse
22 Jan 2010
The Australian Government has been asked by the Greens to back a $20 billion interim carbon tax proposal to start cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Come on, Kiwis, let’s ride the green wave
22 Jan 2010
Les Mills International chairman Phillip Mills argues for the benefits of a green economy.
Global ag fund missed opportunity, says Chauvel
18 Dec 2009
National’s announcement of the United States, Canadian and New Zealand financial contributions to a Global Agriculture Fund represents a huge missed opportunity for NZ Inc, Labour’s climate change spokesperson Charles Chauvel says.
Carbon fraudsters rake in billions, say police
11 Dec 2009
Tax fraudsters have targeted the European Union’s carbon emissions trading system, pocketing about five billion euros, the Europol police agency says.
Govt backs faster uptake of on-farm emissions tools with $51m fund
Thu 11 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government is investing up to $51 million over three years to help accelerate the uptake of on-farm emissions reduction technologies, with a new AgriZeroNZ initiative aimed at getting proven tools into the hands of farmers sooner.
Call for wider investigation into private back-channel emails in PM’s office
Tue 9 Jun 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Green Party is calling for a full investigation into the use of private email in the Prime Minister's Office, as the scandal following a missing Fonterra and Z Energy climate policy briefing document drags on.
$30m airline fund risks ‘burning public money’ without lasting benefit – expert
20 Mar 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A $30 million government package to support regional air routes risks delivering poor value for money while increasing emissions, according to transport strategist Tim Adriaansen.
Airline CEOs warn EU plan to expand carbon costs will raise fares
Wed 10 Jun 2026
Europe's biggest airlines have urged the European Union not to extend its Emissions Trading System to cover international flights, warning the move would raise ticket prices, a letter seen by Reuters showed.
Fed Farmers' election wish-list includes stopping whole-farm conversions to carbon forestry
Tue 9 Jun 2026
Federated Farmers has launched a five-point plan for the next government, setting out what it says should be a major focus for political parties heading into the November election.
Huntly biomass option no cheap fix, Genesis tells MPs
28 May 2026
Genesis Energy says biomass can be burned in Huntly's Rankine units, but current costs put it in roughly the same price range as imported LNG and extra Rankine capacity would be expensive and could take years.
Treasury says 2030 climate target could cost $5 billion
Thu 11 Jun 2026
By Liz Kivi | Treasury is predicting it could cost between $4.4 and $5 billion to buy the offshore mitigation needed to meet New Zealand’s 84-96 million tonne emissions reduction shortfall for its 2030 target under the Paris Agreement.
Solar power hits new milestones in the US even as Trump boosts coal over clean energy
Thu 11 Jun 2026
Even as President Donald Trump boosts coal over clean energy, solar power is hitting new milestones in the U.S. and remains the leading source of new power.
No bidders again: NZ carbon auction extends losing streak
Tue 9 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams |New Zealand's carbon auction has failed for the sixth consecutive time, with no bidders emerging for the 2.6 million NZUs on offer as secondary market prices remain well below the Government's $71 auction floor price.
Importing LNG would raise costs and emissions: it’s a terrible decision for New Zealand
Tue 9 Jun 2026
COMMENT: Today’s announcement from the Government is political smoke and mirrors, with electricity users’ wallets still set to bear the brunt of the proposed LNG facility, writes Christina Hood.
NZ’s sustainable finance credibility gap
5 Jun 2026
By Manbo He | COMMENT: New Zealand has built serious sustainable finance infrastructure - but risks failing to attract the global capital that infrastructure was designed for, because it lacks the practitioner capability to operate it credibly.
Green building council calls for clean energy policies
18 May 2026
The New Zealand Green Building Council has released its 2026 election manifesto calling for policies to reduce energy waste in buildings, lower household and business energy costs, and improve New Zealand’s energy security.
What Magyar’s defeat of Orbán in Hungary means for climate and energy
21 Apr 2026
Hungary has played a disproportionate role in EU climate and energy policy in recent years, by repeatedly vetoing climate action and by delaying the phaseout of Russian fossil-fuel imports.
‘A shame’: experts on decision to send Govt carbon auctions offshore
Wed 10 Jun 2026
By Liz Kivi | Carbon market experts are questioning whether the Government has made the right decision in sending its auctions of carbon 'pollution permits' worth billions of dollars offshore.
LNG imports might not be needed for 'dry year' security: redacted report
Thu 11 Jun 2026
By Oli Lewis | The need for imported liquefied natural gas to provide security of supply in a dry year is low, according to newly released modelling, with some scenarios featuring higher levels of renewable generation requiring no gas imports at all.
Environmental groups call for ETS reform
20 Feb 2026
Several environmental organisations are calling on political parties to make climate and biodiversity central to the 2026 election campaign, with reforming the Emissions Trading Scheme seen as a key priority.
Once-in-a-century floods routine as sea levels rise due to climate change
Thu 11 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | A coastal flood expected to occur just once every 100 years is now hitting Wellington about twice a year, according to new international research that scientists say offers clear evidence of how climate change is already reshaping New Zealand's coastline.
EDS urges MPs to scrap the Fisheries Amendment Bill
5 May 2026
Media release | The Environmental Defence Society today lodged a substantive submission on the Fisheries Amendment Bill.
GHG Protocol under fire as standards board member resigns
Thu 11 Jun 2026
At the heart of former GHG Protocol standards board member Danny Cullenward’s complaint is the protocol’s approach to forest carbon accounting.
Liebreich: Electrify first, insure second
Thu 11 Jun 2026
New Zealand is having an argument about gas while the rest of the world is building an electric future. That, in essence, is the challenge Michael Liebreich left behind after a visit to Wellington last week.
Meridian nears Pūkaki approval despite energy security warning
Tue 9 Jun 2026
Meridian Energy is close to winning fast-track approval to draw Lake Pūkaki deeper than normally allowed, despite the Energy Minister warning the move could weaken New Zealand’s dry-year electricity security and saying he does not support the application in its current form.
Cabinet green-lights $55M super-critical geothermal drilling programme
Tue 9 Jun 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | Cabinet has agreed to release the $55 million unspent of the $60m secured by Resources Minister Shane Jones to drill up to 5 kilometres deep into super-critical geothermal heat under the Taupō volcanic zone.
Oxfam calls on Govt to renew climate finance commitments
Mon 8 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government's failure to renew international climate finance commitments has left Pacific nations short at least $100 million a year, with Oxfam Aotearoa linking the funding gap to New Zealand's weakened Emissions Trading Scheme.
Antarctic surface melt set to increase dramatically this century, new study finds
Wed 10 Jun 2026
Media release – Victoria University | New research shows surface melting across Antarctica is set to intensify and spread dramatically over the 21st century, with melt increasing by 10 times and the area affected growing by more than 10 percent by 2100 if global temperatures continue to rise.
Why ‘greenhushing’ signals deeper issues with NZ’s climate risk reporting regime
15 May 2026
By Hang Pham, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington | Most of us are familiar with the concept of greenwashing: organisations exaggerating or overstating their environmental credentials. But in New Zealand, there are signs the country’s climate disclosure regime may inadvertently be driving a very different trend: not saying much at all.
Hipkins pans LNG plan as ‘massive step backwards’
19 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | Labour leader Chris Hipkins has told a Queenstown audience that a Government he leads would not proceed with a planned LNG import terminal, if elected at November’s election.
Victorian Hydrogen announces Southland urea fertiliser project using coal
22 Apr 2026
By Liz Kivi | Australian-based Victorian Hydrogen has announced it is developing a new 1.5 million-tonne-a-year urea fertiliser operation in Southland, which it will apply for under fast-track legislation.
'Ad hoc, piecemeal, incomplete': NZ's approach to hazards not fit for purpose, says insurer
Wed 10 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's ability to manage natural hazard risks is failing to keep pace with the growing threat posed by floods, storms, earthquakes and climate change, according to a new report from IAG.
Climate law change spanner in the works for Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry
19 Dec 2025
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s controversial changes to New Zealand’s legal framework for climate policy have thrown a spanner in the works for a long-running Waitangi Tribunal Inquiry into climate change.
EU sues Ireland over failure to protect carbon-rich bogs
Mon 8 Jun 2026
The European Commission is taking Ireland to court over its failure to protect environmentally crucial boglands from commercial turf-cutters.
Labour on overturning LNG: ‘we’d need to see the contract’
Tue 9 Jun 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | An incoming Labour government later this year would need “to look at the contract” before deciding whether it would be bound by the current government’s commitment to a user-pays funded liquefied natural gas terminal.
Changes to emissions factors prompt caution over climate claims
4 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Organisations may need to revisit how they calculate and communicate their greenhouse gas emissions after the Ministry for the Environment released an updated version of its Measuring Emissions Guide, incorporating new emissions factors based on New Zealand's latest greenhouse gas inventory.
Climate risks could reshape business finances, new guidance warns
15 Apr 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New guidance warns climate change is set to fundamentally reshape financial outcomes for businesses, including difficult-to-model climate “tipping points” – irreversible changes such as ice sheet collapse or ocean circulation shifts – which threaten severe and sudden financial impacts.
'Terrible result': Emissions barely budged in 2024
5 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions were virtually unchanged in 2024, falling by 0.03%, despite the economy shrinking by ten times that amount during the same period, according to new data.
Lack of demand leads to Bathurst pausing coal mine expansion
2 Jun 2026
By Liz Kivi | Bathurst Resources has confirmed it is struggling to find a market for coal from its planned extension of the Rotowaro coal mine in North Waikato, and is putting the project on ‘pause’.
NZ's latest climate target 'weak' – Climate Action Tracker
24 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand's new international climate target to 2035 is weak, and could even allow for higher emissions than the 2030 target, according to a global scientific project that tracks government climate action.
Alaskans reel from the loss of National Science Foundation ocean-monitoring instruments
Thu 11 Jun 2026
With its multi-billion-dollar fishing industry and vulnerable coastal communities, scientists say the federal government’s decision leaves Alaska flying blind.
Environmental groups sue Trump administration over approval of new ultra deep-water drilling project
23 Apr 2026
Environmental groups sued the Trump administration on Monday over its approval last month of oil company BP’s ultra deep-water drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico.
Seven ‘new approaches’ to avoid our Paris commitments: Carr
4 Jun 2026
Praying for “new approaches” to materialise to meet our international climate obligations isn’t a strategy, writes Rod Carr.
A real ‘intergenerational equity’ budget would address Australia’s unceasing environmental decline
15 May 2026
Labor has unveiled a budget designed to tackle intergenerational equity in Australia through bold tax reform.
Six NZ climate solutions up for 2026 Earthshot prize
21 May 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Six New Zealand climate and sustainability initiatives have been nominated for the 2026 Earthshot Prize, with the shortlist showcasing Kiwi-led solutions tackling emissions, plastic waste and ocean restoration.
Northern Thai residents march for action on polluted rivers. ‘This is an emergency’
Tue 9 Jun 2026
More than 600 residents of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces embarked May 31 on a roughly 68-kilometer, six-day ‘peace walk’ to demand the Thai government take action on the river pollution crisis that has seen Thai rivers polluted with heavy metals.
Why China's critical minerals strategy leaves the US behind
Mon 8 Jun 2026
The United States cannot realistically recreate that dominance overnight even if the political will existed.
Sustainable finance taxonomy for energy sector – consultation
Mon 8 Jun 2026
The Centre for Sustainable Finance is consulting on the sustainable finance taxonomy’s draft energy sector criteria.
NZ’s largest rooftop solar switched on at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Thu 11 Jun 2026
Media release | Sunergise, New Zealand’s leading commercial solar company, has switched on the country’s largest-ever rooftop solar installation at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare’s East Tāmaki campus in Auckland.
‘Landmark’ conservation reform bill – boost or bust for nature?
8 May 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government has announced an overhaul of the country’s conservation system, which environmental organisation Forest & Bird says will undo the work of many generations of Kiwis to protect public conservation land.
Researchers say this new Trump rule could destroy American science as we know it. They’re fighting back
Mon 8 Jun 2026
Scientists across multiple disciplines are sounding the alarm after the White House proposed taking greater control over how scientific research gets funded and allowing political appointees to decide whether to approve scientific grants.
Lodestone launches virtual rooftop solar scheme
Wed 10 Jun 2026
A new virtual solar scheme launching in Hawke's Bay aims to make locally generated renewable electricity accessible to households and businesses that cannot install rooftop panels on their own properties.
EU wants households to cut peak time energy use as demand from industry and AI soars
5 Jun 2026
A new law will aim to use artificial intelligence to boost efficient use of power as electricity demand threatens to overwhelm Europe’s grids.
Pacific climate response in question as NZ finance remains unclear
19 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | With New Zealand's $1.3 billion international climate finance commitment set to end with no clarity on what follows, the Auditor-General says oversight of that funding remains patchy and long-term outcomes are unclear.
Labour pledges unlimited public transport for $20 a week
Wed 10 Jun 2026
The Labour Party is promising to cap weekly public transport fares at $20 in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, if elected in November.
Bonn Bulletin: Tackling climate crisis is “hardest” challenge ever, Stiell says
Tue 9 Jun 2026
The June Climate Meetings open with a reminder to delegates of the tough but ever-clearer imperative of shifting away from fossil fuels to clean energy.
Project linking food waste to cutting methane emissions gets underway
27 May 2026
Media release | Kai Commitment is leading a New Zealand-first project to help understand the connection between food waste and methane emissions and identify effective interventions.
Record-breaking heat and dry spring leave parts of England without water
2 Jun 2026
Thousands of households in southeast England were left without water or facing low pressure during a record-breaking heatwave this week, as high demand followed a dry spring to expose the failings in Britain's ageing infrastructure.
Increase in wildfire-driven ozone linked to premature deaths across the U.S.
Wed 10 Jun 2026
Smog linked to wildfires is getting worse across much of the U.S., playing a role in more than 300 additional premature deaths every year since 2013, researchers say.
Waikato launches vision for energy transition bringing $4.5 billion investment to the region
Mon 8 Jun 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Waikato Regional Council has released a strategy aiming to position the region at the centre of New Zealand's energy transition, with plans to boost energy security, cut emissions and unlock billions of dollars in economic opportunities by 2050.
