BusinessNZ says in light of the Government’s clear decision to proceed with the emissions trading scheme, business should now constructively assist in making the scheme fit for purpose.

BusinessNZ Chief Executive Phil O’Reilly says it has already been significantly moderated from the original scheme put into law by the previous Government and has far less potential negative impact for the economy.

“The world has changed further since the current ETS was designed, and in light of events in Copenhagen and Australia, it is timely to consider further changes to take into account new realities.

“Business can help contribute to those changes and BusinessNZ is looking forward to working with the Government to address some of the issues of concern to our member businesses, including adequate protection for trade-exposed firms who are currently not provided with assistance to moderate the cost impact,” Mr O’Reilly said.

“BusinessNZ has consistently advocated in principle for a trading instrument that will help New Zealand business and the New Zealand economy become innovators in producing low-carbon goods and services to sell to world markets. With further improvement, the ETS has the potential to be a route towards this transformation.”

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