Islanders’ good common sense should prevail on the issue
To the Expositor:
As most people will know, the carbon tax was raised on April 1 of this year. Despite claims that most people will get more back more money than they spend on the tax, this narrative does not hold up to scrutiny. The fact is that this tax will cost the average family $1,500 annually. A carbon tax constrains the economy and there are significant economic consequences as a result. Yves Giroux, the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) has issued a recent report showing the costs to various provinces across the country. This has forced the environment minister to acknowledge that this is in fact the case.
When the latest increase occurred on April 1, some media outlets printed articles with the headlines stating that, “Only an April Fool Would Believe That the Tax is Cost Neutral!”
Most people on the Island would know this of course, common sense tends to shine through when people are confronted with economic issues. Farming is a good example. The inputs to delivering a crop to market include fertilizer, plowing, seeding and harvesting. All of these activities require fuel to operate the machines utilized. In addition, natural gas is the main raw material for fertilizer production. The result is higher costs to produce food and these costs are passed on to the consumer. Any activity involving energy will result in higher costs for the end product. Try and name a product or service that does not require energy! It is these costs that the PBO has estimated/included in his report that leads to the conclusion that a carbon tax leads to higher costs for the average family across the country.
This article is submitted in response to the May 3 letter to the editor by Jan McQuay.
Shane Desjardins
Mindemoya
