Australian printing industry reacts to the new carbon tax

The Federal Government’s recent announcement that the introduction of its new carbon tax will increase operating costs for businesses has already been a cause of concern for the Australian printing industry. CEO of The Printing Industries Association of Australia Bill Healey believes the industry already operates under challenging conditions and the new carbon tax will further increase costs and uncertainty for printing companies across Australia.

“The industry already operates under reduced margins" Healey said. “It would appear that the two-speed economy has put a break on spending in a number of areas that traditionally have generated demand. This has been exacerbated to a degree by surplus capacity in the industry and the shift to new online delivery channels.

“The industry will now face rising energy costs, raw material costs and possibly freight and transport costs. This will be a major disincentive for investment.

“Industry profit margins are already stretched beyond acceptable levels and companies are also under pressure from other communication channels. On top of that competition from offshore manufacturers is having a two-fold impact.”

The Printing Industries Association of Australia is the representative organisation that supports all aspects of the print industry including packaging and visual communication. Its members cover a broad spectrum of different printing related activities from postcard printing to printing software to communication and media services. Headquartered in Sydney, it has offices in Mulgrave near Melbourne’s Springvale as well as other offices in Perth, Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide.