Fortescue boss says he won't get in the way of carbon tax

Fortescue boss says he won't get in the way of carbon tax At a business luncheon hosted by the Australian-Israel Chamber of Commerce in Sydney today, Andrew Forrest said "I think a carbon tax is better than 规范化 an emissions trading scheme."

This statement comes on the back of BHP Billiton's chief executive Marius Kloppers, who a few days ago, urged the Federal government to manage environmental challenges by establishing a clear price signal on carbon as it reviews its emissions trading scheme.

Mr Forrest likened a tax on carbon to the national broadband network (NBN), suggesting it might be carried out without a feasibility study, much like what was done with the Resource Super Profits Tax (RSPT) when it was first announced.

Mr Forrest did not say whether he supported a tax on carbon in the absense of the ETS, but he said that a carbon tax is related to the Mineral Resource Rent Tax (MRRT).

"They are both very politically related and Marius is a clever politician," he said."If he [Marius] can shift the discussion from MRRT, which is a sweetheart deal for BHP, on to a carbon tax, that is good politics."

Mr Forrest pointed out that Mr Kloppers issued a statement on carbon price in a bid to steer the limelight away from 规范化 the MRRT, an issue that has caused dissent amongst the smaller miners as they were excluded from the discourse.