Happy Canada Day, here’s your carbon tax

British Columbia’s carbon tax kicks in today, which also happens to be the day Canada celebrates becoming a confederated nation. Happy Birthday Canada.

North America’s first carbon tax rolls out under fire
Reuters, 6.27.08, By Allan Dowd

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) – Civic leader Scott Nelson says he is as worried as anyone about global warming, but that does not make him happy to be one of the first North Americans to pay a carbon tax to curb climate change.

Nelson, the mayor of Williams Lake, British Columbia, says record high energy prices mean that the levy, for all its good intentions, could not come at a worse time for residents in his community, a small lumber and ranching town about 525 km (340 miles) north of Vancouver.

“The last thing they need now is a tax on top of these soaring prices to add insult to injury,” said Nelson, predicting that a taxpayer revolt will eventually scuttle the new tax, which takes effect on July 1.

Carbon taxes already exist in Europe. But the tax on fossil fuels will make the Pacific province of British Columbia the first North American jurisdiction to bring in a broad-based levy designed to cut emissions of the greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming.

…The provincial government estimates the tax will reduce carbon emissions by about 3 million tonnes a year, or the equivalent of the emissions from about 787,000 cars, as people reduce their use of carbon to save money.

But Nelson says rising energy prices are already doing what the taxes is intended to do by forcing people to cut energy use….

B.C. introduces carbon tax Vancouver Sun, 2.19.08

“We know from our surveys that over 80 per cent of business owners are already taking action to get cleaner,” she added, saying that (was) happening without a tax in place.

More Holes Exposed in Dion Carbon Tax
July 08, 2008

After repeatedly assuring Canadians that his permanent new carbon tax will be applied equally across the country, Stéphane Dion has gone back on his word and begun offering special side deals and exemptions to individual provinces.
British Columbia Premier confirms that Stéphane Dion offered him a special side deal

After repeatedly assuring Canadians that his permanent new carbon tax will be applied equally across the country, Stéphane Dion has gone back on his word and begun offering special side deals and exemptions to individual provinces.

“The Dion Liberals have flip-flopped on the so-called ‘revenue neutrality’ of their plan.  They have flip-flopped and admitted that their carbon tax will drive up gas prices.  Now they are flip-flopping on their promise that every region will be treated equally,” said Conservative MP Jason Kenney.  “It is clear that there is a wide gap between what Stéphane Dion says and what he really means.”

As recently as July 3rd, Stéphane Dion was desperately trying to reassure nervous Canadians that “his own carbon tax plan is simple and would be standard across the country.” (Calgary Herald, July 3, 2008)

Yet during a weekend television interview, BC Premier Gordon Campbell acknowledged that Stéphane Dion had privately assured him that British Columbians could count on special side deals and exemptions, saying, “Mr. Dion actually called me and said there would not be a double taxation, that he does not want to impose something that will not work on British Columbians.” (Question Period, CTV, July 6, 2008, 12:00-13:00 ET)

“It speaks volumes about the true nature of the Dion Tax Trick that the only way to sell anybody on it is by promising to exempt them from it,” Mr. Kenney said. “We’ve already seen one of Mr. Dion’s top lieutenants, Scott Brison, offer a special side deal for his home province.  Now Stéphane Dion himself is getting in on the act.  The Dion Liberals are proposing to arbitrarily divide Canada into tiers, with some families forced to pay more because they’re guilty of living in the ‘wrong’ region.  With so many questions still unanswered by Mr. Dion, why would anybody want to take such a risk?”