Kevin Rudd’s efforts to push through the carbon tax with a very low price on the credits would have favoured the miners at the expense of the taxpayer, with the high likelihood of little if any reduction in pollution levels.

It is no wonder Mr Rudd flatly refused to talk about, let alone consider, the second major option.

This is the cap and trade scheme that allows governments to put emission caps on all polluting industries, who are then allocated “carbon credits” permitting them to emit carbon to a given level, a level that decreases over the years.

To exceed that level the industry must try to buy costly permits (at a price set by government) from another firm who may have excess credits and wish to profit from their sale.

It is this scheme that the mining, coal and other major polluting industries did not fancy.

Unfortunately Mr Rudd and the media were not up to explaining this to us mere mortals.

In putting pressure on federal Labor to be rid of Mr Rudd and his mining tax, another tax they weren’t in favour of, it is let’s say interesting to observe the situation that has now arisen.

I doubt if the mining industries exactly anticipated this.

— CHRIS SOBEY,

Albury