The following is an open letter to MP Scott Aitchison and Minister of Natural Resources Graydon Smith:
Dear MP Aitchison and Minister Smith,
Both of you have stated that eliminating the carbon tax will increase affordability or reduce the cost burden on Canadians. So, we decided to dig into these statements, and here is what we found.
- Eliminating the carbon tax will also eliminate the carbon rebate. Currently Canadian households receive a tax rebate of anywhere from $760 to $1,800 per year, depending on which province they live in. A couple in rural Ontario receives $1,008/year, which includes a 20% rural supplement, and a family of 4 receives $1344.
- Regarding the cost-of-living impact of a carbon tax, “The Bank of Canada has estimated that the carbon tax increases inflation by 0.15 per cent. Trevor Tombe, an economist at the University of Calgary who has studied the impact of the carbon price on consumer costs, points to Statistics Canada data that suggests its impact on food prices is less than one per cent.” CBC News · Posted: Oct 07, 2023 https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carbon-tax-food-prices-wherry-analysis-1.6989547 So, a $300 grocery bill is now up less than $3 due to the carbon tax – the cost of a candy bar. And what about that $0.176 a liter of gas? What is that costing the average Canadian? Well, at 20,000 km per year, a vehicle that burns 15 liters/100 km will pay $528 carbon tax a year or just over half what Ontarians receive in the rebate. The remaining dollars will cover any other expenses related to the carbon tax. So NO, the elimination of the carbon tax will not increase affordability, but will in fact decrease affordability for a majority of Canadians.
- The carbon tax may be a burden on those who burn a LOT of carbon/fossil fuels, by idling, by purchasing larger vehicles, by driving at higher speeds, or enjoying life in their boat or RV. i.e. a cost burden for those who can afford it. It is not a burden on those who, due to financial limitations, can’t afford to burn fossil fuels or on those who choose to burn fewer fossil fuels through their life choices. In a way, the carbon tax/rebate system is a way of redistributing wealth, from those who can afford to burn, to those who cannot afford to burn.
- Does a carbon tax help fight climate breakdown? Carbon pricing is about recognizing the cost of pollution and accounting for those costs in our daily decisions by choosing less carbon-intensive options. Anything that costs more, makes us think about ways to reduce those costs. So, if fuel costs are higher, people are more likely to consolidate their trips into town, to purchase a smaller or more efficient gas vehicle, or to buy an electric vehicle and completely eliminate the gas tax on transportation. Any of these options reduce the carbon entering the atmosphere and heating the planet.
The government of Canada estimates that carbon pollution pricing will contribute as much as one-third of Canada’s emissions reductions in 2030. So definitely, the carbon tax/rebate system reduces carbon emissions and therefore helps reduce climate breakdown.
In short, if you are successful in eliminating the carbon tax, the truth is you will make life less affordable for the majority of Canadians.
Hopefully Canadians and Ontarians will remember this at the polls in the coming elections.
Sincerely,
Paul Kuebler, Port Sydney
Sue McKenzie, Gravenhurst
Len Ring, Gravenhurst
Linda Mathers, Port Carling
Lesley Hastie, Huntsville
On behalf of Climate Action Muskoka
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I agree with Climate Action Muskoka.
If we want to find the people taxing us into impoverishment take a look at so called Canadian Oil Producers Association. They are over 90% owned by foreign countries who are paying our governments some of the lowest royalties in the world, yet they always have their hands out for government subsidies . The oil industry’s corporate welfare structure is so locked into receiving our tax dollars that they won’t even invest in thier own carbon capture progams without being given substantial government subsidies . Since the pandemic , Big Oil has been raking in record profits yet the prices at the pumps continue to rise for the consumers.
Highly subsidized, and under taxed especially regarding recent windfall profits , oil companies like Shell, and Exon, continue to financially bleed the lower and middle class of this country. Oil companies continue to stall and block renewable energy sources…witness the latest press leak to the Narwhal of strategic methods TC energy uses to control public information , and government policies.
Meanwhile, we all suffer the consequences of more methane, more carbon being released into our atmosphere.
It’s time we all stopped arguing and fighting over resource scraps, and economies. Why can’t we focus and agree on cleaning up our act, make the world a cleaner, kinder place for all life?
What is the point of ‘growing ‘the economy if we end up making our planet unlivable for the majority of humanity?
So many blind parrots.
Poilievre is counting on all the blind parrots to not keep up with the facts.
Poilievre is telling tall tales about the carbon tax that many people blindly parrot. Over and over.
https://southmuskoka.doppleronline.ca/letters-conservatives-are-telling-tall-tales-on-carbon-tax/
Most Canadians get more back with the carbon tax rebate than they pay in the tax.
And many are not even aware of it. Unbelievable.
A few articles:
“Axing the controversial carbon tax ‘makes no sense’”
“What if ‘Axe the Tax’ leaves most Canadians worse off?” Poilievre prefers you are worse off.
“If Canada axed its carbon tax — and rebates — this is how different households would gain or lose”
“Is the carbon tax suffering from a failure to communicate?” Many are not even aware of the rebate.
The carbon tax has a tiny effect on inflation while climate change has a huge effect on inflation.
Search “There’s now a Bank of Canada number for carbon tax’s impact on inflation. It’s small.”
Doing nothing about climate change is extremely expensive.
Search “From chocolate to home insurance, climate change is making life more expensive”
and “New study calculates climate change’s economic bite will hit about $38 trillion a year by 2049”
“Pierre Poilievre’s climate policy is a joke”
They need to axe more than this tax better still lets have tax reform in this country because everyone is paying too many taxes period. Canada has some the largest debt in the world compared to other industrialized countries. Let’s end this socialism experiment its literally speaking destroying peoples means to survive in Canada.
Climate action are deliberately ignoring the broader economic picture to paint a distorted picture.
Any rebates you get back are nullified by the increased costs across the entire economy generated by carbon taxes, which also contribute to inflation and rising costs of food. This has been confirmed by multiple sources.
It is also putting Canadian business at a competitive disadvantage due to higher production costs. It is no surprise that the Canadian economy has been losing pace against its peers.
There is also the point about generational fairness. Most of climate action are wealthy retirees, who benefited from cheap energy to get where they are. What about us working people? We can’t afford property, and now we can’t even afford to heat our homes or gas up our cars.
Bottom line is that the carbon tax costs you, and is not substantively contributing to lower emissions. If we want lower emissions we need to provide consumers with affordable alternative sources of energy. Slapping a tax on existing energy sources is a road to impoverishment.
Kathryn Henderson
If you’re a single individual and you are entitled to receive the CCR ( $140 CAD ), you can expect to receive your payments on the 15th of April, July, October and January.
Kathryn Henderson, I empathize with you and the many other Canadians’ struggling to make ends meet. If you read our letter closely, it addresses the cost-of-living impact of the carbon tax on both food and gasoline. It is minimal.
You are definitely receiving the carbon tax rebate – 4 times a year on the 15th of January, April, July and October. Everyone receives it. Please check your bank account to see how much money you are receiving. Our TD account has the deposit listed as being from CDACarbonRebate (CCR). You will see that you will lose a considerable payment if the carbon tax is repealed!
The PCs are using the fact that many Canadians, like yourself, are unaware that they ARE receiving these quarterly payments. Please don’t be duped by the axe the tax messaging. The PCs are failing to tell you that 80% of Canadians get more back through the rebate than they pay out. You and I are in that group.
Why are food prices tripled since 2020? I have never received a carbon tax rebate yet and I make $30,000 a year
If I was paying a mortgage or rent I would ve on the street. Carbon tax does not help poor people. My opinion.
Poilievre is counting on blind parrots.
Remember “Poilievre ran in favour of carbon taxes multiple times in his career.”
He was also a big fan of the carbon tax.
When it suited.
But now he’s the official opposition so lying and complaining about everything is his thing.
Good idea or bad.
Complaints are easy.
And worthless.
Solutions are hard.
And very valuable.
Nothing of any value has ever come out of PP’s mouth.
Just complaints.
He even says Canada is broken but most premiers are Conservative.
Housing, health care and education are mostly provincial responsibilities.
Both federal and provincial Conservatives and their fanatics are telling tall tales about the carbon tax. Over and over.
https://southmuskoka.doppleronline.ca/letters-conservatives-are-telling-tall-tales-on-carbon-tax/
It’s insulting to Canadians
They make no sense at all.
Carbon pricing is the most effective and least expensive carbon plan.
The carbon tax is rebated. And then some for most.
Don’t believe anyone.
Especially PP.
Figure it out yourself.
We paid $300 carbon tax on nat gas heat ($50 average per month for the 6 months we need the furnace) plus $300 on gasoline and got $800 back in Ontario so we are up $200.
PP is counting on those who can’t do math to blindly parrot his lies.
But lying and complaining is all he’s got.
He’s very good at it.
“Here’s to a good future for Canada!”
Without blind parrots.
https://doppleronline.ca/huntsville/to-a-good-future/
Very well said. This is far better than shooting slogans at us (ax the tax). Slogans are easy to remember, but often don’t have any basis if facts and facts are what we should be governing with.
It is the job of government to uncover these facts and make them clearly and easily available to everyone. This is unfortunately a job that has been done far better by this group of volunteers than any of our political parties and that is lamentable at best.
We like to bash “figure heads” like Trudeau. Seriously though, I don’t really think Justin sat down one night with a pad of paper and a calculator and “came up with a carbon tax”. I think it was done by a whole host of hopefully knowledgeable people working for our greater good and all he did was announce it.
I agree with the writers of this letter. My vote will definitely consider this issue. Carbon tax was and is a good idea.
Eliminate MANDATED POVERTY Privude wages so hounding can be in the doable range ! Greed it the problem !
Eliminating the carbon tax on Home Heating is a starting point . Your numbers mean zip to people , especially Seniors on fixed incomes , who need heat !!!