You didn't really think that the government would pass up an opportunity to tax something
Even if (miracle of miracles) the Productivity Commission did not recommend a levy on the carbon content of fuel, those businesses that are taxed will simply pass their costs on. They would be derelict in their duty to their shareholders if they did not.
It does not matter how they do it, everyone is going to end up paying it, directly or indirectly. The government (either party) can then wring their hands and say that they excluded fuel, and it is those nasty companies that are charging the poor consumer.
What is most concerning is that a party that ends up with an absolutely minimal vote can hold such sway and essentially dictate to government how they will govern. It is one thing to "keep the bastards honest", and another thing altogether to dictate. Then again it is more a reflection on the weakness of the government to bow down to such dictates.
I have been watching a recording of British Army team climbing Mt Everest. There they told how climbers who could be rescued were literally left to die because other climbers were more interested in getting to the summit rather than help a fellow human being who had either collapsed or broken something. Here it was a case of Labor wanting to govern no matter what - in this case no matter what they had to inflict on those who voted for them.
And you know what, the next government is unlikely to remove these imposts. Once they get the taste for tax, they become addicted to it. We are also easily bought off with minimal promises of a few more dollars in the pocket.
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