Another Gas Alert!

Protests Kill Off 'Flatulence Tax' Plan:

The New Zealand government has abandoned a controversial plan to tax farmers for their livestock's flatulence, after the proposal prompted widespread protests - and considerable derision.

Opposition parties slammed the Kyoto Protocol-driven move, farmers threatened a nationwide revolt, and a new movement was quickly born.

Fight Against Ridiculous Taxes, with its obvious acronym, became the slogan of farmers' groups, meat processors, and others across the country campaigning to have the left-leaning government of Prime Minister Helen Clark drop the plan.

I mentioned this last June when the Ecoweenies in the Clark government dreamed it up - now it appears to be gone with the wind.

The flatulence tax idea was part of the Clark government's efforts to meet New Zealand's obligations under the Kyoto Protocol, which requires developed countries to reduce emission by specified amounts.

Although the government was initially adamant that the statutory levy would be charged, and said only the practicalities were subject to negotiation, it eventually backed down under pressure.
...
"Farmers will be relieved that the government looks to have finally got the FART tax out of its system," federation vice-president Charlie Pedersen said in a statement.

So what are the Ecoweenies doing instead?

In a compromise reached with industry groups, Environment Minister Pete Hodgson and Agriculture Minister Jim Sutton have agreed that research already underway into ways of reducing methane emissions could get additional funding, and thus do away with the need for a levy on farmers.

That sounds suspiciously like the difficult research at the Canadian "belching and flatulence" directorate. I think the Kiwis got it right:

The Federated Farmers organized a poetry competition, inviting farmers to have share their thoughts on the tax in (mostly unpublishable) verse.

"I have never herd a cow break wind, but can't say the same for politicians," wrote one of many aspiring poets. "What about a tax on them ..."

There's a never ending source of income.