While it seems like all the talk seems to revolve around HST reduction these days, there was a tax that saw a rise Canada Day long weekend – the carbon tax.
The provincial government says that the tax is revenue neutral and it says that it presents a plan every year, detailing how revenue derived from the carbon tax will be returned to taxpayers through tax cuts – it says that in the 2011/12 fiscal year, $191 million is expected to be returned to taxpayers.
According to a tax schedule on the Province of B.C.’s website, the carbon tax for gasoline went from $0.445 a litre in 2010 to $0.556 a litre in 2011 and is projected to increase to $0.667 next Canada Day.
With the prospect of carbon neutrality for the city looming on the horizon, carbon tax increases make sense, at least in theory, as the higher cost of gas should force people to consider alternatives but the thing that bothers me about the whole thing is the concept of revenue neutrality.
I know the tax doesn’t generate money for government coffers (or so the government says) and it will reportedly bring in over $190 million this year but I can’t get over the fact that I still have to pay $60 to $70 to fill up my car, despite tax cuts.
It’s astounding how the price of gas has increased over the years.
I remember being in Alberta back around 1988 and was shocked along with my parents when we missed out on a chance to get gas at about $0.28 cents a litre – we ended up paying around $0.30 a litre instead.
That was a long time ago of course but even as little as six years ago – not that long ago in the grand scheme of things – gas was about $0.67 a litre.
So gas rises by approximately $0.37 in about 16 years (by my estimation) and then skyrockets over $0.60 over the span of about six years?
A few tax cuts aren’t worth the increased price at the pump, if you ask me.
– Karl Yu is editor for the Grand Forks Gazette
