Ensuring a sustainable environmental and economic future for Australia should be the government's key objective in its response to the Henry Tax Review, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"Australians are rightly concerned about the squandering of our natural resources and environmental heritage.

"They also want our financial regulation framework to be aimed at looking after everyday families, not the wealthiest in our society."

The Greens are proposing three areas in which the government should take action:

• A Resource Rent Tax of 50% of mining profits, replacing the current state and federal tax regimes, to ensure the benefits of the resource boom are delivered back to the community;

• A new tax bracket to apply to people once their incomes pass $1 million to deliver an estimated $250 million extra for the government;

• Changes to vehicle tax arrangements to remove the fringe benefits tax concession which encourages vehicle use; remove the diesel fuel rebate (except for farmers and fishers), and replace the luxury car tax with a tax based on fuel consumption.

Australian Greens Deputy Leader Christine Milne said the Henry Tax Review was an opportunity for the Rudd government to get the priorities for Australia's financial system right.

"Smart thinking can turn around the perverse incentives that encourage people to pollute and instead build a tax system that helps protect the environment," Senator Milne said.