Gas tax: How beer fuelled a debate on Australia's energy giants
Key takeaways
- The viral video gave fresh fuel to a campaign for Australia to introduce a 25% tax on gas exports, which has sparked a counter-campaign from energy companies strongly opposed to the tax.
- Despite the campaign's popularity with voters, the prime minister has ruled it out.
- "Just do it and stop the crap," former treasury secretary Dr Ken Henry told another senate hearing last month.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Helen Livingstone Sydney Getty Australia makes more money from beer excise than its tax on offshore gas exports.Back in February, an otherwise dry senate hearing took an unexpected turn when a flustered treasury official confirmed a little known fact: Australia gets more tax from beer than gas exports.
"How do we live in a country, one of the biggest gas exporters in the world, and we're getting more tax from beer?" independent Senator David Pocock asked in a moment that has since received almost 10 million views on Instagram.
The viral video gave fresh fuel to a campaign for Australia to introduce a 25% tax on gas exports, which has sparked a counter-campaign from energy companies strongly opposed to the tax.