Carbon Tax impact

A West Kalgoorlie business owner says he could stand to lose as much as $50,000 a month as a result of the impost of the Carbon Tax.

WA Auto Electrics co-owner Richard Whiteley was stunned earlier this month after the price of a key air-conditioning component jumped 200 per cent, after the tax was introduced on July 1.

The R134A cylinder – which holds refrigerant for the air conditioning units Mr Whiteley’s business builds and services – cost him $310 to buy last month.

But the cost has since skyrocketed to $930.

Speaking to the Kalgoorlie Miner yesterday, he said he had received no information from the Federal Government on the impact the tax was going to have.

“We were aware there was going to be a tax increase, but the only indication of prices we got before we received the bill was the 9 per cent figure put out by the Prime Minister herself,” Mr Whiteley said.

“WE FIGURED everyone would be paying it – so when we got the bill we initially thought it was a mistake, they’d charged us three times what they had previously.”