Topics tagged with 'Tax'
Research spending doesn't match priorities - report
10 Dec 2020
There’s a serious mismatch between what New Zealand’s Government identifies as the most pressing environmental issues, including climate change and freshwater quality, and the investments in environmental research it actually makes.
Carbon prices keep climbing
8 Dec 2020
Carbon prices pushed higher again yesterday, making daily gains of 1.64 per cent on both major trading platforms.
Carbon on a barn-storming run
7 Dec 2020
Carbon prices are continuing their climb, recording gains of almost 50 per cent for the year.
NZ to push carbon trade deal to Europe and UK
30 Nov 2020
Joining a New Zealand-led trade pact on climate change could be more effective than putting up trade barriers on carbon, New Zealand will tell Europe and the United Kingdom.
Western Europe cools on plans for nuclear power
27 Nov 2020
News that two more reactors in the United Kingdom are to shut down on safety grounds earlier than planned has capped a depressing month for nuclear power in Europe.
NZ needs to do more, says High Commissioner
13 Nov 2020
Britain wants New Zealand to do more on climate change, calling on companies to be carbon-neutral by 2040 and “welcoming” the country’s review of its 2030 emissions target.
Scientists, doctors sound warning for farmers
6 Nov 2020
Emissions from food production alone could sink the world’s chances of meeting the Paris Agreement, scientists are warning in research with major implications for New Zealand.
Why it's hard to cut aviation emissions
4 Nov 2020
A 1940s tax-exemption treaty designed to protect the fledgling aviation industry set airlines on a path to high emissions and low regulation.
Business makes bid for $7.23 billion
22 Oct 2020
Businesses want the new Government to back $7.23 billion worth of projects they say will cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 5.5 per cent over the next decade.
The four who could be our next climate minister
19 Oct 2020
Who will be New Zealand’s next climate minister? Carbon News canvasses the options and comes up with four names.
UK finance minister wants a carbon tax
12 Oct 2020
British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak is planning for a UK-wide carbon tax that could raise billions of pounds while encouraging the drive towards net-zero emissions.
US could adopt carbon tax under a Biden presidency, ex-Fed chair says
9 Oct 2020
Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said bipartisan concern over climate change could see the United States adopt a tax on carbon emissions, with the proceeds shared with households, if Democrat Joe Biden is elected president in November.
Policy could prevent shift to low-emissions tech, says Genesis
1 Oct 2020
The Labour Government’s plan to bring forward its 100 per cent renewable electricity generation target to 2030 is an example of siloed thinking and is likely to be self-defeating, Genesis Energy has told shareholders.
Court considers whether Canada's carbon tax is legal
30 Sep 2020
After two days of hearing arguments for and against the federal government's carbon tax, the Supreme Court of Canada has adjourned without a decision.
If business must disclose carbon debt, then so should we, says Shaw
8 Sep 2020
The Government is trying to find a way to calculate the cost of the country’s likely carbon debt – and is considering using revenue from the Emissions Trading Scheme to buy international carbon credits to help deal with it.
Prospect of snap election reanimates Canada’s carbon tax battle
26 Aug 2020
Canada’s carbon tax is facing a renewed backlash amid talk of a green recovery to covid-19 and the prospect of a snap election in the autumn.
Bigger EU ETS more effective than carbon tax at the border
21 Aug 2020
Europe is planning a border tax to stop carbon leakage in the energy sector, but energy advisers say expanding the bloc's Emissions Trading Scheme would be more effective.
Helping Chile cut emissions could help us
18 Aug 2020
New Zealand and Switzerland are helping Chile develop an emissions reduction programme that could pay dividends for this country.
Carbon tax back before US lawmakers
12 Aug 2020
For years, the idea of putting a price on carbon emissions seemed like a no-brainer — economists claimed that it would cut fossil fuel pollution quickly and efficiently, and at the same time, could even give money back to the American public. Over the past few months, as Democrats have rolled out multiple comprehensive plans to slow down climate change and turbocharge renewable energy, the idea of a “carbon tax” has been notably absent.
TEN YEARS AGO ...
5 Aug 2020
Ten years ago, South Africa was looking at a 100-rand-per-tonne carbon tax. A tax finally came into law last year.
Country's climate change costs are climbing
30 Jul 2020
Climate change is now swallowing the lion’s share of the Government’s environmental spending, prompting suggestions we should have a dedicated Climate Change Ministry.
Parker whips home third leg of climate trifecta
26 Jun 2020
The third leg of the Government’s climate change legislation trifecta came home this week.
Parker has trade pact proposal, will travel
25 Jun 2020
New Zealand will take the proposed ground-breaking Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability to the table in trade talks with the United Kingdom.
Auckland can go big on emissions cuts
23 Jun 2020
Getting rid of rules about housing density and giving incentives for people to use public transport and buy electric vehicles could cut Auckland’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, the OECD says.
Shaw sings songs of praise for trading scheme
3 Jun 2020
Climate minister James Shaw – who three years ago was calling for the Emissions Trading Scheme to be scrapped – was singing its praises in Parliament yesterday.
Biofuel could pull trucks into line, say officials
2 Jun 2020
New Zealand could cut its greenhouse gas emissions immediately by using more biofuels in trucks, officials say.
Saucy sugar joins drive to find us better food
19 May 2020
Australia’s sugar industry is joining forces with health experts to call for a complete change to the world’s food systems.
Upton raises moratorium on new coal mines
15 Apr 2020
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton says New Zealand should be thinking about a moratorium on new coal mines.
Taxing oil and gas fields could work, says Upton
6 Apr 2020
Taxing oil and gas exploration and strengthening the Emissions Trading Scheme could be more effective ways of cutting greenhouse gas emissions than banning exploration, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment says.
We need to know changes to ETS, say foresters
28 Feb 2020
Forest owners – who yesterday called for a $200-a-tonne carbon tax on the burning of coal – say changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme should be signalled in the May Budget.
Forest owners want tax on burning of coal
27 Feb 2020
Forest owners are calling for a $200-a-tonne tax on the burning of coal and the implementation of the Government’s promised “wood-first” policy.
Carbon pricing role crucial, say experts
18 Feb 2020
Carbon pricing is emerging as central to international climate negotiations, the Mercator Climate Institute says.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ...
14 Feb 2020
Submissions close today on the Urban Development Bill, allowing what the Government calls better co-ordination of land, infrastructure and public assets in complex urban development projects.
Climate-risk reports critical, politicians hear
10 Feb 2020
Directors of large companies, Crown entities and any organisation participating in the Emissions Trading Scheme should have to provide an annual signed and audited statement of climate risk, Parliament is being told.
EU urged to adopt meat tax to tackle climate emergency
5 Feb 2020
A sustainability charge on meat to cover its environmental damage could raise billions to help farmers and consumers produce and eat better food, according to a report.
GO ELECTRIC: The secret's in the sums
4 Feb 2020
Do the maths, says Massey University applied mathematician Professor Robert McLauchlan, it really does make sense to get rid of your fossil-fueled car.
OPINION: Why the market ups and downs?
4 Feb 2020
By LIZZIE CHAMBERS | Since the Government's proposed ETS settings were announced just prior to Christmas, we have watched NZU prices jump up significantly.
NICK SMITH: How National's ETS did the job
31 Jan 2020
National MP and former climate minister Nick Smith says his Emissions Trading Scheme has seen New Zealand out-perform Australia on emissions reduction.
Opinions side with charging for farm emissions
29 Oct 2019
A majority of people and organisations making submissions on whether agricultural emissions should be in the Emissions Trading Scheme say price-based mechanisms are the way to go.
EDITORIAL: A Shaw thing
25 Oct 2019
By publisher ADELIA HALLETT | Climate minister James Shaw, take a bow - you deserve five minutes in the sun for doing what none of your seven predecessors did.
Unions put case for 'just transition'
15 Oct 2019
Unions want reform of the tax system and redundancy payments for all laid-off workers as part of a “just transition” to a low-carbon economy.
ARDERN'S GLOBAL INVITE: Let's trade strengths
24 Sep 2019
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has told the world New Zealand wants climate change included in trade deals and global co-operation on carbon pricing.
Cabinet refuses to show ETS farming papers
9 Sep 2019
The Government is refusing to release six documents relating to farming and the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Nervous farmers eye methane cut obligations
1 Jul 2019
The prospect of having to cut methane emissions by 10 per cent over the next decade is depressing otherwise optimistic farmers.
It's your job to care for the world, directors hear
14 Jun 2019
Directors should bear as much personal responsibility for the environmental damage their companies cause as they now do for the health and safety of their workers, the Government has been told.
Emissions pricing not working, says World Bank
11 Jun 2019
Just one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are at prices likely to drive the emissions cuts needed to preserve life as we know it, the World Bank says.
UN chief pushes case for carbon taxes
14 May 2019
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says income taxes should be replaced with carbon taxes.
Agriculture about to get the emissions answer
29 Apr 2019
The agricultural sector will find out soon whether it is likely to come into the Emissions Trading Scheme.
No CGT, but green taxes still on the agenda
18 Apr 2019
A capital gains tax might be off the agenda, but the Government isn’t ruling out environmental taxes recommended by the Tax Working Group.
EDITORIAL: Oh, Canada
3 Apr 2019
Let’s talk about Canada. It’s easier than talking about our own country.
Pacific climate advocates welcome pre-COP31 meeting in Fiji and Tuvalu
Today 11:45am
Media release – 350.org | Climate advocates across the Pacific will now prepare for the Pre-COP31 meetings in Fiji and Tuvalu, with the Pacific Islands Forum confirming the hosts yesterday.
South Korean farmers sue utility giant KEPCO over climate damage to crops
Wed 25 Feb 2026
As harvest season approached last November, farmer Ma Yong-un walked through his apple orchard in southern South Korea with a growing sense of dread.
NZ’s government wants tourism to drive economic growth – but how will it deal with aviation emissions?
22 Oct 2025
By Robert McLachlan, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University | Following a brief dip during the COVID pandemic, aviation is back in a growth phase.
Singapore sets first ever sustainable aviation fuel levy, as Southeast Asia’s fuel industry grows
17 Feb 2026
Flying in and out of Singapore, home to Southeast Asia’s busiest airport, will get slightly more expensive this year as the city state begins imposing a levy of between 75 cents to $32 per ticket to fund sustainable aviation fuel.
Kiwis overly optimistic about state of environment
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New research suggests many New Zealanders believe the environment is in better shape than it really is, with public perceptions often out of step with scientific evidence.
Govt’s own modelling shows LNG leads to higher electricity prices than other solutions
19 Feb 2026
By Christina Hood | COMMENT: According to modelling conducted by Concept Consulting for MBIE, either developing the Tariki gas storage facility or managing electricity demand would deliver lower wholesale electricity prices than the Government’s preferred solution of an LNG import terminal.
New study looks to nature markets to accelerate climate response
18 Feb 2026
The Nature Conservancy is teaming up with local groups to study the most affordable and effective ways of restoring native habitats at the top of the South Island, including ways to fund the work using international voluntary carbon markets and biodiversity credits.
UN approves first carbon credits under Paris Agreement market mechanism
Today 11:45am
The United Nations has approved the first credits to be issued under a carbon market established by the Paris climate accord, aimed at reducing emissions – a mechanism that has faced scrutiny over greenwashing concerns.
Carbon price drops as volatility continues
17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market is still displaying extreme volatility, with prices dropping back to below $40 yesterday, after trading as high as $46.25 last week.
3,600 times faster: China is shaking up the steel industry
Wed 25 Feb 2026
For over a century, making steel meant coal, heat, and hours of waiting. A Chinese research team now reports collapsing that process into just three to six seconds; no coal, near zero emissions, and a vortex lance already moving toward commercial production. The technology is called flash ironmaking, and in February 2026, its implications are still unfolding.
LNG: a rational choice compared to unpalatable alternatives
10 Feb 2026
By Pattrick Smellie | COMMENT: By deciding to underwrite the private construction of a liquefied natural gas import facility in Taranaki, the Government has made a rational choice in favour of energy security and affordability.
Sustainable retail-office project breaks ground under new Green Star framework
19 Feb 2026
Construction is set to begin on a new retail-office development in central Auckland, which is targeting a 40% reduction in embodied carbon and 25% lower energy.
Opposition attacks Govt over fossil fuel phaseout backdown
2 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Revelations that Resources Minister Shane Jones ruled out New Zealand signing up to a 'road map' away from fossil fuels at last year’s global climate summit show the National Party’s minor coalition partners’ undue influence over the Government, according to Labour leader Chris Hipkins.
Carbon market rallies but auction floor still out of reach
13 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The carbon market has rallied, with secondary market prices up more than 25% in the past two weeks, although current prices in the mid-$40s are still far below this year’s $71 auction floor, with the first auction of 2026 less than three weeks away.
Govt plan to encourage new energy investment won’t cut costs for ordinary Kiwis
Thu 26 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | While gentailers and major energy users have welcomed the Government’s plan to leverage public sector demand to drive new energy projects, an expert says it is unlikely to reduce prices for ordinary people.
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.
Floods and landslides in Brazil kill at least 30 after record rainfall
Thu 26 Feb 2026
Three firefighters pulled a man’s body from the mud amid the rubble of houses swept away in a landslide in south-eastern Brazil, where 30 people died and 39 were still missing on Tuesday after torrential rains.
Transport dominates NZ’s rising consumer emissions
10 Dec 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Transport pollution was the biggest contributor to an increase in New Zealand’s consumption-based emissions in 2023, with emissions from household travel up 12%, and consumption-based emissions totalling 58.3 million tonnes – up 1.6% from the previous year.
The 15 foods destroying rainforests, in one simple chart
Wed 25 Feb 2026
It’s pretty much impossible to live a life free of environmental harm. But there is one thing you could do immediately that would help the planet a heck of a lot: eat less beef.
Hipkins rejects LNG terminal, backs renewables
Tue 24 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Labour leader Chris Hipkins used his State of the Nation address to warn that worsening extreme weather and rising energy costs show climate change is no longer a distant threat.
RMA to speed up fossil fuel consents
18 Aug 2025
By Liz Kivi | An energy lobby group has welcomed a last-minute amendment to the RMA that puts fossil fuels on the same footing as renewables, however a sustainable energy expert says the move “beggars belief.”
European Central Bank's green supervision grows teeth, but will banks avoid being bitten?
13 Feb 2026
After several years of issuing guidance and repeatedly calling on banks to take climate and environmental risk management seriously, the European Central Bank is moving from guidance and expectations to enforcement.
Tairāwhiti needs proper Govt support to heal the land – not empty announcements for political optics
Tue 24 Feb 2026
OPINION: The Government’s answer to Tairāwhiti’s severe erosion crisis – that the region apply for modest, contestable funding rounds – while rejecting the region's own land transition business case, leaves our long-term resilience hanging in the balance, writes Manu Caddie.
Claims that AI can help fix climate dismissed as greenwashing
18 Feb 2026
Tech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report.
Govt missing opportunity to slash electricity prices, says expert
11 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | The Government’s fixation on eliminating the "dry-year risk margin" as a lever to reduce costs misses a much bigger opportunity to lower electricity prices, according to Christina Hood, head of Compass Climate.
Media round-up
13 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: Senior UK ministers have asked their New Zealand counterparts to explain new climate policies, National’s LNG blunders are a warning ahead of election campaign, and what are the lessons New Zealand should take from another summer of weather disasters?
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
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.
EDS puts environmental lawmaking under the spotlight
Thu 26 Feb 2026
Media Release |The Environmental Defence Society has launched the first in a series of investigative pieces into how environmental laws are being made in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Climate 'dream team' launches foundation targeting 100 million tonnes in emissions cuts
Wed 25 Feb 2026
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The New Zealand Climate Foundation, which has the ambitious aim of cutting 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, had its official launch on Monday.
China has a new competitor? Kazakhstan reveals huge rare Earth deposit that could power the next tech boom
Wed 25 Feb 2026
China’s grip on rare earths might finally see some competition, and the world is already taking notice.
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.
Chronic ocean heating fuels ‘staggering’ loss of marine life, study finds
Today 11:45am
Chronic ocean heating is fuelling a “staggering and deeply concerning” loss of marine life, a study has found, with fish levels falling by 7.2% from as little as 0.1C of warming per decade.
Calls for action to reduce emissions as extreme weather bites
17 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | Renewable energy advocates and environmental groups are calling for more action to reduce emissions and increase resilience as severe weather wreaks havoc across the country.
Australia-US minerals deal underpinned decision to allow mining company to clear threatened indigenous forest
Mon 23 Feb 2026
The Australian government’s decision to allow the US mining giant Alcoa to continue clearing swathes of Western Australian jarrah forest despite past illegal clearing practices was made in part due to a critical minerals deal reached between Australia and the Trump administration last year, a new document shows.
‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics
Tue 24 Feb 2026
Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?
Local govt shake-up risks weakened environmental outcomes – Commissioner
Today 11:45am
By Shannon Morris-Williams | The Government’s push to simplify local government is "deeply flawed" and has been launched without a clear understanding of which functions must remain regional, according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.
Gas security fund panel named – but projects still hush-hush
Thu 26 Feb 2026
The Government’s $200m Gas Security Fund has attracted interest from “several” entities, but officials are refusing to disclose who is circling or what types of projects are being put forward, leaving the market to take the programme’s credibility largely on trust.
Media round-up
20 Feb 2026
In our round-up of climate coverage in local media: 'Every tonne matters': The climate scientist who wants to give you hope; Minister says managed retreat is an option; and climate change is here – is New Zealand ready?
Brazil and India agree to boost cooperation on rare earths
Tue 24 Feb 2026
Brazil and India sealed a deal Saturday on critical minerals and rare earths, enhancing cooperation on crucial resources between two major countries of the global south as they seek to diversify their trading relationships.
Trump slaps 126% solar import duty on India in threat to India-US trade deal
Thu 26 Feb 2026
The solar import duty suggests that Trump's “America First” policy remains the priority, even at the expense of an India-US trade deal.
UNESCO report: Major blind spot in ocean carbon research could undermine global climate predictions
Thu 26 Feb 2026
Media release | A new report by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO reveals a critical lack of understanding of how the ocean absorbs and stores carbon.
NZ-UAE partnership boosts advanced tech
9 Feb 2026
Media release | A new Antarctic science partnership with a leading UAE university will grow New Zealand’s advanced engineering and modelling capability, supporting high-value jobs, encouraging economic growth, and enabling smarter climate risk management, Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Dr Shane Reti says.
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.
NZ’s EV uptake decelerates
Mon 23 Feb 2026
By Liz Kivi | New Zealand’s EV uptake is lagging behind other countries, with a huge drop in EV sales since 2023 bucking international trends, at the same time the Government contemplates abolishing its standard for clean cars entirely.
General Assembly chief calls for US to pay UN fees in full
Today 11:45am
The head of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday urged top contributor the United States to pay its fees in full after Washington made only a partial payment to the global body, amounting to less than 5% of the total amount owed.
Infrastructure plan calls for ‘predictable approach’ to electrifying economy
18 Feb 2026
Aotearoa’s first National Infrastructure Plan, introduced to Parliament yesterday, calls for "a predictable approach to electrifying the economy" as one of ten priorities for the next decade.
New research on climate adaptation as severe weather hits
16 Feb 2026
As extreme weather batters the country yet again, researchers have published the first ever empirical study of climate adaptation justice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Study finds warming world increases days when weather is prone to fires around the globe
20 Feb 2026
The number of days when the weather gets hot, dry and windy — ideal to spark extreme wildfires — has nearly tripled in the past 45 years across the globe, with the trend increasing even higher in the Americas, a new study shows.
India and UK launch offshore wind taskforce
Mon 23 Feb 2026
Constituted under Vision 2035 and the Fourth India-UK Energy Dialogue, the Taskforce is designed to provide strategic leadership and coordination for India’s nascent offshore wind ecosystem.
