The Aerial Agriculture Association of Australia (AAAA) has slammed the implementation of the government’s carbon tax, saying that it will raise costs for small operators and not result in cuts to emissions from aerial ag operators.
AAAA CEO Phil Hurst says that the government’s claims that the carbon tax will only directly affect the largest polluters was wrong, as the additional six cent excise on aviation fuel will impact all aircraft operators.
“Any claim by the government that the increase is small or that only large polluters will be targeted is simply not true and an attempt to sidetrack attention away from a poorly thought out grab for cash from aviation companies,” he said.
“Australia’s aerial application companies already run as lean and as efficiently as possible, especially after a long drought. There are simply no more efficient aircraft available on the market and to certify either a new aircraft or a new engine will take decades.”
Virgin Australia and Qantas have implemented a small additional surcharge on air tickets from July 1 to cover their carbon tax liabilities, which is being imposed on aviation via increases in aviation fuel excises.
