“A CEMETERY has admitted it was a mistake to blame the carbon tax for an increase in the price of a burial plot.
A receptionist at Springvale Cemetery in Melbourne's eastern suburbs reportedly told the Maliki family last week that a $55 charge would apply to a family burial because "even the dead don't escape the carbon tax".
The Opposition and some funeral industry figures have previously suggested cremation prices would rise due to the carbon tax, a claim refuted by the Gillard government.
The communications manager of Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, which administers Springvale Cemetery, told The Australian Online the suggestion to the Maliki family was a mistake.
"It absolutely was in error," Rebecca Atkins said. "Internally, we're going to have to find out who made that comment.
"There is no price increase due to the carbon tax. Our fees go up every year on 1 July and that's in line with CPI and they have done for 30-odd years.
"It's just the timing, I guess. That's where the confusion lies."
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