He is succeeding by only talking about half of the equation—leaving out the rebate
To the Expositor:
Premier Ford has launched his campaign to rile people up against the carbon tax and rebate. He is succeeding by only talking about the tax. When I filed my income tax last week, I claimed my carbon rebate, which every taxpayer in Ontario is entitled to get. It came to $167, and families qualify for up to $307. Do people even know they can get a rebate? The Ford government is forcing gas stations to post a sticker about the tax portion of the tax and rebate but not even a whisper about the rebate. It’s like campaigning against health care by cynically telling Ontarians they have to pay a health premium without mentioning the health care part.
As for the need, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent to avoid the worst effects of climate change. One of the most effective ways to do this is by putting a price on pollution and giving the money back to people through a rebate. At 4.42 cents per litre, I’ll likely pay less than $40 carbon tax this year for my vehicle, and I’ve already claimed $167 as a rebate! People who use less fuel will benefit more, which makes sense because they’re polluting less.
Premier Ford’s campaign to incite anger wouldn’t work so well if he told people the whole truth.
Jan McQuay
Mindemoya
