B.C. NDP leader John Horgan has set out his vision for B.C.sa国际传媒檚 carbon tax, now that the party finds itself able to advocate the measure it once bitterly opposed.
Heresa国际传媒檚 a quote from the NDPsa国际传媒檚 2009 election platform, under leader Carole James: sa国际传媒淕ordon Campbellsa国际传媒檚 plan increases taxes for average families by tripling the gas tax. And Campbellsa国际传媒檚 top advisor says it has to increase to 24 cents on every litre of gas.sa国际传媒�
Since Campbellsa国际传媒檚 former finance minister Carole Taylor introduced it, it did indeed triple, to $30 per tonne of carbon dioxide emissions, where it has stayed since Christy Clark became premier. That translates to about seven cents on a litre of gasoline.
Then last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decreed that the sa国际传媒渃arbon pricesa国际传媒� shall be raised nation-wide, $10 each year to $50 a tonne, by 2022. Thatsa国际传媒檚 12 cents on a litre of gasoline. If provinces donsa国际传媒檛 do it by carbon tax or emissions trading, Trudeau will attempt to force it on them.
Clarksa国际传媒檚 intention is to wait until 2021, when other provinces have caught up to B.C., then raise it in two $10 increments. Horgan proposes to do it in three stages.
Clark has pledged that it will remain revenue neutral, with proceeds returned mainly via reduced personal, small business and corporate income tax rates, a northern and rural homeowner benefit of up to $200 a year, a seniorssa国际传媒� home renovation tax credit and a few other breaks.
These tax breaks are real, despite what people may say down at your local coffee shop. The first two provincial income tax brackets are currently reduced by five per cent, and the province expects to pay out $83 million this year in northern and rural credits.
Reductions to the general corporate income tax rate are budgeted to total $236 million this year. Thatsa国际传媒檚 a target for Horgan, judging by his rhetoric about the current system benefiting Clarksa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渃orporate backers.sa国际传媒�
Horgan also wants to spend some of the proceeds of future carbon tax increases on energy efficiency, transit and so forth. He promises to leave the personal income tax reductions alone.
Green Party leader Andrew Weaver looks like your best choice to impose that 24-cents-a-litre tax that the NDP warned us about eight years ago. Thatsa国际传媒檚 a rate that would actually force more people onto bikes and buses. Other than that, Weaversa国际传媒檚 main focus these days is to kill B.C.sa国际传媒檚 natural gas industry.
Horgansa国际传媒檚 reluctant conversion to climate warrior is now complete. He has adopted the term sa国际传媒渃arbon pollution,sa国际传媒� which is, to be polite about it, a false description that defies even high-school science about the basis of all life on Earth.
He is right, however, that B.C.sa国际传媒檚 emissions continue to rise as population and the economy grow.
And heresa国际传媒檚 the bottom line, B.C. voters. Even if you accept the propaganda that human-generated CO2 is suddenly the sole driver of climate change, when you look at a global context, none of this Canadian posturing matters a damn bit.
Barack Obamasa国际传媒檚 great Paris climate deal with China and India allows them to continue ramping up emissions until at least 2030. Donald Trump will soon pull the U.S. out of the toothless Paris accord and end Obamasa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渨ar on coal.sa国际传媒� So thatsa国际传媒檚 the worldsa国际传媒檚 top three greenhouse gas emitters out.
Your choices for May 9 are: the BC Liberal status quo, the NDP embarking on a state-directed infrastructure program funded by you, or the Green Partysa国际传媒檚 vision to keep our carbon fuels in the ground, as our American-financed protest industry keeps demanding.
Tom Fletcher is B.C. legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Email: tfletcher@blackpress.ca Twitter: @tomfletcherbc
