@dmacphee The headline is misleading. It doesn't surprise me that the Fraser Institute, the Montreal Economic Institute or the Macdonald Laurier Institute say foolish things about #ClimateChange, but environmental issues are a very small part of what they do. It's like describing U of T as a place to play soccer.
As for @acoyne personally, he believes climate change is real and that humans are responsible. He's told the public we should have a #CarbonTax for 20 years or more.
Everyone who walks or bikes to the grocery store is paying for this #parking structure that drivers get for free. Basically the opposite of a #carbonTax.
Watching the PM and PP spar in "Debate" in the House over poverty, “axe the tax”, and making the rich pay.... and all I can say is, if the slogan rhymes, it's not good policy.
I am so angry at how certain politicians are combining with misinformation/disinformation sources to create huge confusion and misplaced anger and media hyperbole about the carbon tax in BC and Canada, especially when it comes to fuel for "normal" cars and trucks driven by "normal" people.
If you believe the carbon tax is the only or even largest reason gas prices are rising, then you have been lied to.
Here are some carbon tax and fuel facts in BC:
For gasoline the April 1, 2024 rise in Carbon Tax has added 3.3 cents/Litre or 3.89c/L for Diesel.
The price of gasoline has risen more than 5x more than the Carbon Tax in the past month. BCGasPrices.com shows a rise of 16.8 cents in the past month from 176 to 193 cents.
BCGasprices.com charts from the past 10 years (which is beyond the period of the various elected parties in power and the Federal carbon tax mandates) shows that BC prices are consistently higher than the Canadian average BUT that the difference remains nearly constant (ie. this has always been the case) and the two rise up and down in nearly perfect sync and there is no correlation to the Carbon tax changes on April 1st of any year.
The value of efforts to #decarbonize is undercut by our continued failure to implement a real #CarbonTax. It's difficult to make a business selling electric cargo bikes if gas is cheap and car #parking is free. Meanwhile we have a housing crisis, because people like to sit in traffic while the radio tells them that the size of their car loan is a status symbol.
Some people seem to be arguing that unless fighting climate change is easy, convenient, doesn't require any changes to how we live today, and doesn't cost us anything, then they don't want to support the efforts.
These subsidies cost Canadian taxpayers at least $6.03 billion, or roughly $214 per taxpayer every year. And unlike the federal #CarbonTax, Canadians don’t get a rebate on this tax. (1/3)
Reality check:
To be legitimately worried about the impact of an added 3¢ carbon price on you gas, it seems to me it would need to add at least half a percent of your income.
Alberta median household income >$100,000
0.5% of $100,000 = $500
$500 at 3¢/litre = $16,000 worth of fuel
At an inflated average price of $1.50/l
… you bought 11,000 litres of fuel.
You drive enough to use up the tank on an F-150 at least twice a week.
If someone has concerns about the federal carbon tax increase, you can reassure then that it’s only in provinces without their own carbon pricing, and only about half a TTC fare per tank of gas:
“Going from $65 per tonne to $80, means the carbon price on a litre of gasoline will now be 17.6 cents per litre, up 3.3 cents per litre from before. … filling a 50 litre tank from empty will cost about $8.80 in carbon price, about $1.65 more.”
I suppose Canadian Conservative politicians would have you believe that if the carbon tax is cancelled, companies will magically pass on the savings to customers. Right. #canpoli#carbontax