The primary impact of this tax will be that we use less electricity and fuel. This applies by to personal use and business use (exect the fuel of course, which is exempted for personal use). We will not start going overseas to buy fuel or electricity. We will go about our business pretty much the same way as before, just using less, because we are exposed to the true cost rather than letting everyone else bear part of the cost of our individual actions.
Who pays for it
Who pays for what? It is a tax. You know what that means don't you?
and where is this 'market failure' that you speak of?
The market failure takes the form of an externality - a negative impact of a transaction for which those directly involved in the transaction do not have to compensate those affected.
Company A decides that Gillard and you useless pustules are fucking the country and moves
In my experience businesses do not stay in business by responding to political ideology. They respond to the economic situation.
Perhaps you should give a real example, as there are several possibilities depending on what it actually is. For example, the widget could be something that is or is made from products that will be protected on the basis that it is a trade exposed industry. Depending on the details, the company could end up being more competitive. Or it could be an item with a low carbon footprint. Again, there is a good chance it will end up being more competitive. These details are going to escape your attention if you prattle on about widgets and pustules. You were doing OK while you stuck to the economics.
Mantra:
The fact is this carbon tax isn't going to make one iota of difference to the planet aside from giving the global tax agents more cash.
It is a domestic tax. You appear to be confusing it with an international ETS.
and aside from FD's asssurace that we won't be buying tax credits from dodgy agencies overseas - we will be
No we won't. Can you buy tax credits from overseas to avoid paying income tax?
To date these schemes have proven unsuccessful and a scam
Again, it is a tax, not an ETS.
Nothing about it makes sense. The revenue isn't going into alternative energy industries
The point is not to prop up alternative energy industries, but to reduce our GHG emissions. That is not the same thing, by a long shot. A carbon tax targets mechanisms to reduce emissions that are much cheaper than alternative energy sources.