Electricity prices coming down: Tollner

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
 
Sir – Territorians will pay less for their power with today’s axing of Labor’s Carbon Tax.
 
The benefits for Territorians include an expected $36 reduction a quarter on the average utility bill or $142 a year. For a large family, the saving will be $245 a year or $61 a quarter. The savings largely comprise a reduction in the cost of electricity.
 
Small business customers are estimated to save around $790 per annum on their electricity bill. Nationally the Carbon Tax added $11 million a day to the cost of electricity alone.
 
It’s disappointing Labor fought to prevent Territorians from getting these cuts to their power bills. They had to wait nearly a year for the Carbon Tax to be abolished, with Territory Labor grimly opposing the repeal of the tax despite the mandate given to Prime Minister Abbott at last year’s election.
 
The NT Government will be moving to recast the Power and Water Corporation’s (PWC) pricing order to remove the Carbon Tax component as soon as possible. The removal of the Carbon Tax will remove an anticipated $30 million tax slug that would have otherwise been paid by PWC this financial year.
 
Last year, Territorians forked out $25.8 million through their electricity bills to pay Labor’s tax. What’s more, the Carbon Tax was going up and up. The cost to PWC increased by nearly 16 per cent between last financial year and this one.
 
Dave Tollner
Treasurer