ACCC says $550 tax axe save 'reasonable'

The ACCC says Treasury's $550 estimate of carbon tax repeal savings is 'reasonable' but Australians feel their bills are still rising.

Workers on an electricity pylon

Most Australians feel the carbon tax pushed up electricity prices, but their bills are still rising. (AAP)

Most Australians feel the carbon tax pushed up electricity prices, but say their bills still rose after it was scrapped.

That's despite the consumer watchdog saying Treasury's estimate that households would save $550 from the repeal of the carbon tax is "reasonable".

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's final carbon tax monitoring report released on Tuesday calculates direct cost savings from $153 to $269 for electricity and natural gas.

But it says other cost savings from sectors including landfill, council rates and charges, food manufacturing, water charges and transport will also flow down to consumers.

"As such, the ACCC believes that, given all the available information, the Commonwealth Treasury's estimated $550 cost saving to households is reasonable," it said.

However, an Essential poll found 51 per cent of Australians felt their power bills had increased over the past year and just nine per cent believe their bill is cheaper.

But 62 per cent felt the carbon tax had impacted on their electricity bill in some way, with 21 per cent believing the policy had a big impact.

The tax was repealed in July last year.

Small Business Minister Bruce Billson said the ACCC report confirms that a tax on carbon is harmful for businesses and households.

He said Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's plan for a "carbon tax", combined with Labor's ambitious renewable energy target, "would massively increase power bills for households and business, destroy jobs and damage industries".

Labor will take an emissions trading scheme to the next election and most within the party maintain the policy is not a tax because the price on carbon is floating and determined by the market.

The ACCC said that with high levels of compliance by suppliers of electricity and gas, it has not needed to undertake any enforcement activities since its started its monitoring role in March 2014.

"The ACCC is satisfied that all the relevant entities ... have passed through all cost savings attributable to the carbon tax repeal," it said.


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Source: AAP


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