The Coalition has come out swinging against Labor’s plan to slash Australia’s emissions, claiming the policy is just a “carbon tax” with a new name.

Labor has announced more details about how it would achieve its proposed target of 45 per cent reduction on carbon emissions by 2030.

The plan includes tightening the cap on pollution for Australia’s biggest emitters and expanding its reach to cover 250 companies.

Businesses will be able to buy international carbon offsets or sell credits if they reduce pollution by more than the minimum.  

Labor’s policy, which also includes boosting electric vehicle sales, has been praised by climate groups. 

“The difference between the two major parties on climate change is as stark as night and day,” Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said.

“Bill Shorten has a fire truck while Scott Morrison has a watering can.” 

Finance Minister Mathais Cormann led the government’s attack on Labor’s proposed climate plan.

“It is clearly a carbon tax,” Mr Cormann told reporters on Monday. 

As Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott branded then-PM Julia Gillard’s price on carbon as a “carbon tax” with devastating effect. 

However, the rhetoric is proving less potent this time around after Australians endured another record-breaking summer and a series of bushfires, heatwaves and floods, according to advocates,

“People are very aware that climate change is now impacting their daily life whereas in 2011 perhaps they weren’t as aware about how vital this issue is,” Ms McKenzie said.

“We’ve all learnt from watching scare campaigns on the past and we now know that we need to be moving to  modernise our economy.”

The Australia Institute’s Richie Merzian said it was a furphy to call Labor’s plan a tax as it was based on the government’s own safeguards mehanism that applies to 140 businesses. 

“The federal opposition’s plan doesn’t bring in a new policy, it simply uses it better,” Mr Merzian said. 

Electric car sales ‘reckless’

Prime Minister Scott Morrison questioned how Labor would achieve its target for electric vehicles to make up half of all new cars sold by 2030. 

The prime minister said electric car sales make up just 0.2 per cent of new cars sold in Australia, labelling Labor’s target “reckless”.   

“It’s not a plan. It is another big Shorten tax on the Australian public,” Mr Morrison told reporters. 

The Electric Vehicles Council CEO Behyad Jafari said Australia could not afford to continue to lag behind other nations. 

“Without a hard target or an improvement in emissions standards, Australia is destined to become a dumping ground for dirty, petrol-thirsty vehicles that can’t be sold elsewhere,” Mr Jafari said.

“They might seem cheap at purchase, but they’ll cost consumers a lot more in the long run.”