This promise by Carole James and the BC NDP to axe the “Gas Tax” as they call it is regressive and just plain dangerous for our environment. Not only that, it shows a complete lack of principles.
Because of this, I’ve decided to create a Facebook Group to try to gather people, of all political stripes, but particularly those who feel they are less likely to vote NDP now because of the Axe the Carbon Tax campaign.
Click here to go to the Group.
I hope that for those of you who read my last post about “Axing the Tobacco Tax”, you realised that I was being wholly sarcastic and silly. My point was that like when Louis St. Laurent introduced the first Tobacco tax in 1950, there is a lot of opposition to the Carbon Tax from those who do not want to change their ways.
Lets face it. We are addicted to the lifestyle that fossil fuels have provided for us. I am too. It is no secret that when combined with education, taxes help to change peoples behaviour. It has worked with smoking. It will work with Carbon. Like him or lump him, Gordon Campbell has done the right thing by imposing his Carbon Tax on British Columbian consumers, businesses and industry. No, the policy is not perfect by any stretch, but it is a start, and a strong statement to the rest of North America especially that BC is taking Climate Change seriously no matter the short term political cost.
Carole James needs to recognize that the Carbon Tax is the *right* policy. She must concede that, and then show how she would improve it. I believe she has alienated a large amount of people with this policy… there is no doubt she has alienated many environmental groups.
So please, join the Facebook Group.
Tell your friends and family and pass along the link. There is still time for Carole James to say her Mea Culpa and change her policy.
What bugs me about the carbon tax is its a half measure. Sure you can use taxes to change behaviours but without a viable alternative its just a blunt club to beat the taxpayers with.
I would be in favour of the carbon tax if, instead of being “revenue neutral” (ha) the proceeds were used to fund the development of a made-in-BC vehicle electrification program.
Didjaknow a leader in electric vehicle conversion (50km @ 100Km/h) is based in Errington?? http://www.canev.com
You’re absolutely right… which is why the NDPs position is so infuriating. There are so many ways that the current Carbon Tax policy could be *improved* so that it was both easier to swallow and made a much bigger difference.
But instead they do the politically easy thing…