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Originally Posted by Slava
^ Res, first let me say that is a great post. You've obviously done a lot of digging here and I will admit that I haven't had a chance to review each of these links!
That being said, it looks like the thing missing from the equation here is the tax cuts that are embedded into the program. No one is arguing that there won't be some increased cost for consumers...I think that speaks for itself in the program. The plan does call for enormous tax reductions however to offset these costs.
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Indeed, Dion does add tax cuts. The general theme of many of the articles is that the cuts themselves wont remotely cover the increased costs. The CTF link for Ontario says that the province's 111 power generation facilities will be eating $1.5 billion in additional costs per year. The 1% business tax cut Dion proposes would total $800 million for the entire province. Not just the 111 power generation facilities, but for the 360,000 business registered in the province according to StatsCan.
There are a lot of zeros attached to the increased tax burden these power generation facilities will have to bear. That burden will be passed down.
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This also forms the main reason that Albertans are not shafted with this plan; the increased costs are spread through out the country (from the emitters), and everyone across the country uses virtually the same amount of energy, and all get the same tax breaks as well.
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Indeed. The consumers consume at similar levels. The emitters, however, are highly centralized. It is the consumers of Alberta and Saskatchewan that make up the workforce of 40% of said emitters. They are the ones that are going to take a disproportionate hit of the economic costs Dion's plan will create.