trudeau and notley to be schooled

[stonepicker]

Former ndp strategist Bill Tielman disagrees with you chuck, the so-called benefits of bc's carbon tax have been highly overstated, take your ndp rose coloured glasses off and look at both sides. All your seeing is bc's propaganda machine trying to put lipstick on a pig.

[Oliver88]

Here is the story in the Calgary Herald:

http://calgaryherald.com/news/politics/aussie-think-tank-delivers-carbon-tax-warning-from-down-under

Aussie think tank delivers carbon tax warning from Down Under

SHAWN LOGAN
Published on: December 5, 2016 | Last Updated: December 5, 2016 5:49 PM MST

It was a Down Under blunder that should serve as a lesson to Alberta as it embarks on its own controversial carbon tax, says a think tank that led efforts to scrap that country’s short-lived climate change strategy.

Chris Berg, senior fellow with Australia’s Institute of Public Affairs, met with Postmedia’s editorial board in Calgary Monday to discuss his own country’s carbon tax experience just weeks before Alberta’s so-called Climate Action Plan comes into force.

“We were told we would lead the world, but it didn’t look like the world was interested in carbon taxes,” Berg said.

“It was, in my view, the most substantial financial debate in Australia’s history.

“At least four party political leaders lost their job over the issue. It cost the Australian economy $8 billion a year for two years, it raised electricity prices by 25 per cent … and contributed to higher prices at the supermarket.”


Australia’s ruling Labor Party introduced the Clean Air Act in 2011, a move critics said broke an election promise not to introduce a carbon pricing scheme. A carbon price of $23 per tonne of emitted carbon dioxide was imposed on the country’s 500 top emitters, though some of the highest emitting companies were granted free carbon units if they were exposed to imports or traded internationally.

Ultimately, Berg said, it was individual taxpayers and smaller businesses facing the trickle down effect of the carbon tax who shouldered the brunt of the financial burden, with little to no impact on global climate change.

“The idea that anything we in Australia could do to make a legitimate impact on climate change was fairly ludicrous,” said Berg, whose IPA held rallies, drafted flyers and drummed up opposition to the scheme.

“It’s easy to say we’re making big polluters pay, but fundamentally these taxes have an effect on individual people — people have to pay these taxes.

“Climate change is a global problem, not a regional problem.”

Two years after coming into force, the incoming Liberal government of Tony Abbot, who’d vowed to axe the tax, repealed the act, killing the carbon pricing plan after only two years.

The first phase of Alberta’s carbon tax is set to come into force Jan. 1, and will impose $20 per tonne of CO2 emissions, not only on emitters but on individuals as well, raising the price of gasoline by 4.5 cents per litre, diesel fuel by 5.35 cents and hiking the cost of natural gas more than $1 per gigajoule in its first year.

Alberta’s carbon tax further expands to $30 per tonne of CO2 in 2018, increasing the price of gas 6.7 cents per litre, eight cents for diesel and an extra $1.52 per gigajoule of natural gas.

Alberta’s government predicts that will mean the average Alberta family will shell out an additional $338 in taxes next year, though a sliding scale of rebates to mitigate the impact is also being created as part of the plan.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which is hosting Berg’s tour of Canada where he’s meeting with media, business and political leaders, has said the impact on the average family by 2018 will be about $600.

Paige MacPherson, Alberta Director of the CTF, said she hopes Albertans will be able to learn from Australia’s disastrous foray into carbon pricing.

“I think the Australian carbon tax example shows that a carbon tax is a lot of pain for little to no gain,” she said.

“It also shows just because it’s going to come into effect doesn’t mean we can’t push back and repeal it.”

slogan@postmedia.com

[furrowtickler]

I propose a sewage tax on any raw sewage dumped into rivers or ocean waters by any Canadian city. If places like Vancouver or Montreal are found guilty , tax's should be imposed on those municipalities. Then the tax's be reallocated to other areas of Canada .
I know it's a bit out there but makes more sense on helping to have a clean prosperous economic future .

[seabass]

Where u farm Chuck?

[sumdumguy]

Nutty professors. I can't believe an economist making comments like this- comments based on emotion rather than science. Makes me ashamed to be an economist. Guess he never took a biology class.

[sawfly1]

i tend to agree , that the carbon tax will be a political albatross .
taking the high road is great as long as we do not have to pay for it .

spending a whole lot of money for something you can not see.
kinda like putting money on a plate in a church.
but if you believe, i guess it is worth it.


Hamloc mexico surpassing canada in trade with US . is that really a big surprise.
globalisation, same as the USA losing jobs and production to mexico
nobody in canada is going to assemble a ford or dishwasher for 9$/hr here.
if that is what they get ?

we are just so lucky here to have resources and a low population
that is what has been saving us so far.

[SASKFARMER3]

Chucky just loves the Carbon Tax. Must have a new liberal job lined up.

[chuckChuck]

I forgot to mention that according to the Fraser institute' survey on the best places to invest in oil and gas, Norway is in the top ten. Norway has a long standing carbon tax. That's right! So how does a country that has a carbon tax get into the top ten best places to invest?

By the way Preston Manning thinks a carbon tax is the way to go as well.

I agree that it it may be that BCs carbon tax is not as effective as stated by some observers. At 7 cents per litre it is not a very big tax and may not have much impact. Having effective ways to measure the impact is very important.

But we all know that high energy prices reduce consumption. As soon as gas prices go really high consumers start looking for fuel efficient vehicles.

I farm in Saskatchewan. Our farm shop and house were designed to be energy efficient with high efficiency boilers and furnaces and lots of insulation. All that investment easily pays for itself.

We also drive fuel efficient vehicles as much as possible. And when we go to rink or the school we don't leave our vehicle idling for hours like many Saskatchewan residents.

[SASKFARMER3]

Gee Chucky you must be a boy scout.

Drive a diesel because that is the cheapest form of transportation for me work truck and also nice to drive.

Shop is radiant heat and real thick walls and insulated doors. Works just fine.

Leaving my truck idle today all day Priceless.

We don't live behind the iron curtain. Some want to take us their and Your boy Is one.

As we all smoke our joints sitting around a 60 watt light bulb in our homes trying to keep warm when its -29 out side for weeks on end, well at least its family time.

This whole idea is out of this world gonzo.

Yes the solar shingles caught my eye and yes i invested in that company. But till its proven why the hell would any one in the world go balls to the wall and drop good money making energy that we have years of in Canada and the rest of the world wants to buy.

Its unbelievably stupid.

-30 with wind chill today. all you tree huggers should have your power and gas turned off and ride your bikes to work and see how fricking long it takes you to come to the dark side.

We live in Canada and its God Dam Cold in Winter.

Idiots just plain idiots.

[SASKFARMER3]

Oh and he is now changing his mind on the Joint thing so i guess its Vodka as usual.

Hey wait thats like Stalin did to his people. Drink and freeze in the dark while some play.

Trudeau and Suzuki and Nutlee plus more.

[chuckChuck]

SF3. Good stuff SF3 you really added a lot to the debate. Do you actually spend the winter in saskatchewan anyway? You are the warm vacation photo king on agriville. Plus one of the biggest complainers! Must be tough to be you.

[Hamloc]

I just read an article on the Financial post's website which talks about the fact that by 2022 Ontario and Quebec through their cap and trade system they will be paying half as much for a tonne of carbon as we will in western Canada. Because their system is linked to California's it appears that in 2022 when Alberta and BC and Saskatchewan are paying 50 dollars a tonne Ontario and Quebec will be paying as low as 24 dollars a tonne. The usual federal Liberal way, screw the west.