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Peter Meecham/Stuff
The Government has ruled out a fertiliser tax. (File photo)
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has ruled out a tax on fertiliser, a suggestion which had attracted criticism from the agricultural sector and the Opposition.
Hipkins made the announcement at the first day of Fieldays on Wednesday, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event held at Mystery Creek near Hamilton.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor had discussed a fertiliser levy with the agricultural sector as an interim funding measure while the sector continued to work out the best way to price its greenhouse gas emissions. It was mooted as a replacement to the sector-led emissions pricing proposal, He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN), which hasn’t yet been agreed.
“I don’t support a broad-based tax that doesn’t provide the nuances that are inherent in He Waka Eke Noa,” Hipkins said. “I can confirm today that the Government will not be implementing a fertiliser tax. We want to work hard with you to make He Waka Eke Noa work.”
More to come…
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