The cost of pencils has not fallen as expected since the government repealed the controversial Carbon Tax.

Primary school teachers in particular are questioning whether the government’s decision has had any impact at all.

“Market reaction to the end of Carbon Tax has not seen any price reduction in pencils,” says Ernest Post from the National Teachers Federation.

“HB remains steady at $1.50 per unit, and 2B pencils are still at least 3 cents per centimetre more than they were a few years ago.”

“One would expect that as the Carbon Tax disappears, the price of pencils should also naturally fall. Otherwise, why did they need to go up when the Carbon Tax was introduced?”

In Egyptian and Roman times, pencils were made from lead. However, as early as the 16th Century pencils have been made of graphite, which is an allotrope of carbon.

“I feel as though the pencil manufacturers took advantage of the Carbon Tax hysteria and jacked up the prices. If that’s not the case, then they really need to get the lead out and start bringing down those prices, if you’ll pardon the pun.”

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission has been quiet on the issue, and has put forward no public stance as to whether it has or will be monitoring the price of pencils.