Amusing as it may be to see Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper campaigning against conservative Liberal B.C. premier Gordon Campbell, it should be pointed out Harper's understanding of Campbell's carbon tax is lousy.
“Every politician in history who wants to impose a new tax claims that it's either revenue neutral or it's temporary. It's not true,” Harper was reported as saying during a September 8 visit to the Lower Mainland. “Everybody knows, especially in British Columbia, that that kind of carbon tax is not revenue neutral on the average working family.”
But while the provincial tax, which added 2.34 cents a litre to the price of gasoline starting on July 1, is supposed to be “revenue neutral" for the government, which promises to return in the form of tax cuts every dollar it raises, it was never supposed to be “revenue neutral” for any given family.
How each person or family is affected will depend on their income, how much they drive and how fuel efficient their vehicle is, according to B.C.'s 2008-2009 budget documents. A low-income family burning a lot of fuel in a gas guzzler is going to come out much worse than a high-income family that gets around by bicycle or bus.
The B.C. tax shift will encourage everyone to adopt greener practices, said Ian Bruce, a climate change specialist with the David Suzuki Foundation. “It provides all British Columbians the opportunity to come out economically ahead by making green choices,” he said. “Our current system rewards polluters. There's no economic incentive to shift to greener technologies.”
Asked about Harper's attack on the B.C. tax, Bruce said, “I just think it's obviously disappointing to have any political candidate criticize a government that has shown the leadership and the honesty to put in place a policy that's essential to address the threat of global warming.”
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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Frank
3 years ago
Andrew
Its not just a case of how much you drive. the carbon tax will also be added to each product by each middleman as its passed through the supply chain. The tax will also hit us on other forms of transportation and even on our municipal services.
Admittedly if I was taking my private jet to China for a party I wouldn't have to pay the carbon tax but I parked my jet because I didn't like the colour any more.
The carbon tax has done and will do absolutely nothing for the environment. Its too small when compared to the fluctuations in the price of gas anyway to be able to say that it has made any difference in driving habits. Because when gas climbs 50 cents its difficult for all but the most blinkered to claim it was the 2 additional cents caused by the carbon tax that got some people out of their cars.
And lastly, a carbon tax is a laughable attempt to paint this gov't green when all the rest of its policies are designed to rape and destroy the real environment as fast as possible. I suggest the carbon tax faithful remember there is far more to the environment than how many parts per million of CO2 is in the atmosphere. When this gov't decides to protect forests, habitat, rivers, wildlife etc they can start worrying about CO2 levels.
G West
3 years ago
No it won't!
This is patent nonsense - as Frank and others have pointed out dozens of times.
The fact a prevarication comes from the Suzuki Foundation doesn't make it any less of a lie.
Campbell went to his little enviro group and asked what he could do to change his skin colour - they suggested this regressive Pigovian tax and he fell for it.
Norman Spector, of all people, says that Carole James seems to have Campbell's number - you can read about it in the Globe & Mail.
Grumpy
3 years ago
How many times.............
........can one express the fact that the carbon tax is a gas tax, nothing more, nothing less.
Somehow politicians, academics, and the Suzuki Foundation, think that taxing the public will solve the problem - it doesn't.
Want to reduce pollution and congestion, you have to provide a viable public transportation alternative for the car driver and we haven't.
SkyTrain at $100 million/km. or more certainly won't do it. Subways don't do it. New highways don't do it. There is one solution that will do it, but we (the people) the politicians, academics, and the media refuse to entertain the correct solution so they just tax and tax and tax.
watcher_t
3 years ago
Carbon Tax
I don't often agree with Stephen Harper but on this issue he has hit the nail on the head.
I am one of those that is hit hard by the carbon tax of Gordon Campell.
Being on a disability pension and driving an old car because like people in my circumstance we cannot afford more fuel efficient vehicles.
Along comes the carbon tax that is revenue neutral but guess what, I don't make enough money to pay income tax and I get hit hard at the pumps because of this tax. No where is there a provision to help me or others like me afford fuel to get to appointments to see specialists or hospital clinic visits.
We are hit hard by this tax,what we pay at the pumps has to come off our food bill. While people like Campbell fly off in private jets that are not subject to the carbon tax and also take overseas holidays.
Like usual it is the poor that pay for the rich to play.
Sorry, go and find another way to protect the environment, just quit doing it on the back of the poor, the working poor and us who are disabled.