so the carbon tax in your mind has exactly zero to do with emissions and green technology and everything to do with redistribution of wealth.
Right now to give an example. when I get my check, I lose about I think 40%. Now we put in a carbon tax, which will in effect be a consumption tax, but in this case a poorly thought out consumption tax because it will not only effect straight emissions based things in my life like gas for my car and heating, but it will increase essential things like food, entertainment things that are locally provided like movies and anything that I but at a mall will possibly be double hit (The mall pays increased pricing for their heat and electricity), the store plays increased leasing, plus costs of goods.
So lets say with the groceries, my food bill goes up by 10% a week. Just throwing it out there because we don't know what the increase is. So if I spend $100.00 per week, my grocery bill bumps up by $10.00 per week or $40.00 per months, but to make that up for that increase, I would need a $440.00 a year after tax increase in my pay or what about $700.00 per year. pre tax, and that's just on groceries alone. On top of that I have to actively reduce spending in other areas. Sure the government says there are rebates, but they're not actual rebates because the rebate isn't actually based on what my real increases are, they're a hypothetical guess, and we've seen in the past that governments get these completely wrong.
Now on top of that, this carbon tax which is in reality nothing to do with emissions and everything to do with re-distribution or robbing me to pay Paul, will combine with the increase in wages because frankly with such a large increase in minimum wage it will cause a for real ripple upwards of all low skill or semi-skilled jobs, which will . . . .you guess it, increase the costs of all consumer goods again.
So I have to wonder if my bosses are going to just willingly give me a 10 or 20% increase in my pay, especially since their costs are going to go up and they'll have to hand it off to our clients.
This strategy makes little to no sense because your bumping peoples pay (great) but at the same time your going to bump the costs of every consumer good essential or non essential out there, which means that the people at the low end of the ladder who just benefited from wealth distribution are either going to end up exactly where they were pre WD or be a bit further behind.
At the same time on the hiring front, because these companies are paying more for labor they are as stated above either going to automate, reduce hours or reduce services and production to stay afloat, especially when you add on the carbon tax in conjunction with the minimum wage increase. Or they are going to become stringent in their hiring practices, which means that the person that used to get a chance at the start of a career with minimum wage and get on the job training is now not going to get that opportunity.
Its nice to keep saying that if we redistribute wealth and bump minimum wage up huge that these people are going to suddenly propel into a higher spending position, but the truth is that nothing is in a vacuum and their spending ability isn't going to increase, its probably going to worsen or at best stay the same. But at the same time, the people that don't benefit from wealth distribution are going to reduce their spending, and probably slide down in terms of where they sit in society.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
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