Quote:
Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz
Several ways the carbon tax works/is effective:
1) a perceived increase in the price of things, like say gasoline, incentivize people to use less, like say take transit (I'll grant this doesn't work for home heating, but if people turn the thermostat down 1 degree because their bill is high that still helps, inches make miles and all that). Most households get their money back, and in some cases even more, so they've made choices to reduce GHG emissions without actually paying for them.
2) revenue from the carbon tax is used for grants to pay for projects that will reduce GHGs. For example the company I work for is spending ~$1.5MM for upgrades to compressor engines that will reduce methane slip, and improve fuel efficiency, thus reducing both our GHG emissions and our carbon tax bill. Most of that $1.5 MM is being paid for by grants to do these sorts of things, and that is $ that is coming from carbon tax revenue. So the carbon tax is going directly to projects that will reduce GHG emissions.
But of course you already knew those things. Surely you wouldn't complain about a program that you didn't understand the general workings of.
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So consumers, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet, are fronting money to the government for a full year and then they get a rebate cheque back. Seems pretty dumb.
Especially when multiple provinces are trying to help low income families with $500 payments.
Everytime I read the comments on CP on the carbon tax, and 'oh well you get a rebate back', it strikes me that the average poster here likely does not struggle to pay rent or food, and they completely forget that there are in fact people out there who would prefer not to pay even more for fuel, even if they get a rebate back at the end of the year.