• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

MP Jamus Lim: Govt’s decision not to withdraw carbon taxes amid pandemic is an implicit admission that environmental tradeoffs in any discussion of policy

by Aldgra F.
09/10/2020
in Environment, Parliament
Reading Time: 3 mins read
29

Source: Workers' Party Facebook

The Government’s decision not to withdraw carbon taxes amid coronavirus pandemic is an “implicit admission” that environmental tradeoffs in any discussion of policy, said Workers’ Party (WP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Sengkang GRC Jamus Lim.

Earlier on Tuesday (6 Oct), Dr Lim in Parliament had suggested imposing a “per-flight environmental tax” in relation to Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) earlier proposal to operate flights to nowhere.

Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said this has become a moot point as SIA has scrapped the idea of flights to nowhere, adding that he would not contemplate imposing such a tax on the airline because that would worsen its crisis.

Dr Lim asked Mr Ong to clarify on why he would not consider imposing an environment tax, given that it is “entirely possible” that the tax will not have an immediate concern on the economic viability if SIA is able to pass on the cost to consumers.

But the Minister responded that “this is really not the time to talk about an environmental tax on SIA” because the airline is in a dire situation due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Dr Lim took to his Facebook on Friday (9 Oct) noting that other MPs have also thought of raising the issue of environmental tax in Parliament.

He shared a screenshot of the notice requesting People’s Action Party (PAP) MP Don Wee to withdraw his question on introducing an environment tax on bottled and liquid products in next parliament sitting.

“Indeed, the fact that the Government has chosen not to withdraw carbon taxes in the midst of COVID-19 is an implicit admission that we should always bear in mind environmental tradeoffs in any discussion of policy.”

Dr Lim said he believes that “good policy is the result of careful deliberation and earnest debate”, hence the reason why he proposed imposing an environmental tax on SIA in the previous parliament.

“I was therefore disappointed that what could have been a thoughtful debate about who bears the tax burden of supporting our national airline became misrepresented as a misguided agenda to roll out additional taxes on an ailing industry.”

He continued, “The truth is, the environment affects all of us, and thinking about how we can be good stewards of it need not come at the expense of jobs or profit, and likewise not just when it suits us, as it is an existential issue that affects all future generations.”

Noting that the objectives of saving jobs and the earth can be complementary, Dr Lim believes that “green businesses are the business of the future”.

“And on my part, I will do my utmost to stay true to the principle of engaging in constructive criticism and debate, because I believe that doing so is for the good of our country, our businesses, and our people,” he asserted.

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.
Tags: Don WeeJamus Lim

Related Posts

Jamus Lim: House prices are too High
Politics

Jamus Lim: House prices are too High

07/02/2023
Mouldy HDB flats in Sengkang raise questions on paint used by HDB during construction of BTO project
Housing

Mouldy HDB flats in Sengkang raise questions on paint used by HDB during construction of BTO project

07/01/2023
Jamus Lim shares account of an single-income family voicing the difficulty they faced in the past year due to rising prices and cost of living
Community

Jamus Lim shares account of an single-income family voicing the difficulty they faced in the past year due to rising prices and cost of living

06/01/2023
Jamus Lim explains why WP’s position on reserves is not equivalent to ‘leaving debts for future generations’
Politics

Jamus Lim explains why WP’s position on reserves is not equivalent to ‘leaving debts for future generations’

23/11/2022
Workers’ Party MPs file parliamentary questions on SWFs as Temasek write down of its $275m investment into FTX
Singapore

Workers’ Party MPs file parliamentary questions on SWFs as Temasek write down of its $275m investment into FTX

22/11/2022
Tan See Leng rebuts Jamus Lim: ONE Pass scheme brings in global talent to create more opportunities for Singaporeans
Labour

Tan See Leng rebuts Jamus Lim: ONE Pass scheme brings in global talent to create more opportunities for Singaporeans

02/10/2022
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
29 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

Sacked from UMNO, Malaysia ex-health minister will start his new career as a radio DJ

Sacked from UMNO, Malaysia ex-health minister will start his new career as a radio DJ

09/02/2023
Malaysia King names Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister, swearing-in to take place 5pm today

Facebook posts falsely accuse Malaysia PM of appointing wife to fictitious job

09/02/2023
India’s Adani shares plunge again after stock sale cancelled

MSCI review puts India’s Adani shares back in the red

09/02/2023
Singapore MOH scales back COVID-19 restrictions, move down to DORSCON green

Singapore MOH scales back COVID-19 restrictions, move down to DORSCON green

09/02/2023
SCDF advance team deployed to Turkey rescued a boy from a collapsed building in Dulkadiroğlu

SCDF advance team deployed to Turkey rescued a boy from a collapsed building in Dulkadiroğlu

09/02/2023
PM Lee assures Singaporeans of affordable homes from the comfort of his Facebook page

PM Lee assures Singaporeans of affordable homes from the comfort of his Facebook page

09/02/2023
过去五年  四成上班族曾遭性骚扰!仅30%受害者举报

China’s Alibaba joins global chatbot race

09/02/2023
India police visit Twitter offices after govt tweet flagged

Twitter service stumbles as paying users get more room

09/02/2023

Trending posts

Cognizant India transfers staff to work in Singapore as recently as this year

Local IT grads can’t find jobs while engineers constantly transferred from India to work in SG under CECA

by Correspondent
05/02/2023
117

...

No response from Josephine Teo on whether Mediacorp has been instructed to stop coverage of SMT circulation scandal

No response from Josephine Teo over alleged blackout of coverage by Mediacorp over SMT circulation scandal

by Terry Xu
06/02/2023
13

...

Adani’s brother runs SG company and registers as director with local ID

Adani’s brother runs SG company and registers as director with local ID

by Correspondent
03/02/2023
26

...

Japanese-Canadian junior high school girl breaks national record with 3km in 9:02 mins

“I want my normal life back,” Sherry Drury withdraws from National Junior High School Tournament due to overheated public attention

by Yee Loon
06/02/2023
4

...

Desmond Lee says 70% of BTO flats affordable for median household with income of S$8,400 but what about the 10th to 40th percentile?

Desmond Lee says 70% of BTO flats affordable for median household with income of S$8,400 but what about the 10th to 40th percentile?

by Leong Szehian
07/02/2023
13

...

Hazel Poa proposes singles be allowed to buy 3-room HDB flats

Hazel Poa proposes singles be allowed to buy 3-room HDB flats

by The Online Citizen
07/02/2023
15

...

October 2020
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Sep   Nov »

The Online Citizen is a regional online publication based in Taiwan and formerly Singapore’s longest-running independent online media platform.

Navigation

  • Editorial
  • Commentaries
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Community

Support

  • Contact Us
  • Letter submission
  • Membership subscription

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Fact Checking Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

wpDiscuz