Is BC tax a carbon tax or just a fuel tax?

[hugh]

I saw this article on the Toronto Star website
B.C. introduces carbon tax

But it doesn't sound like a carbon tax at all. The only thing they are taxing is fuel but not electricity or other carbon generators.

Will electricity from coal plants (which generates more carbon than fuel) going to be taxed?

[57]

An article from the Globe. It says it does include Coal.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...-change+leader

Wearing an impeccable green suit, Ms. Taylor said the B.C. government aims to raise $1.8-billion over the next three years by applying a carbon tax to virtually all fossil fuels, including gasoline, diesel, natural gas, coal, propane and home-heating fuel.

Perhaps BC doesn't have much coal-fired generation

[hugh]

Thanks 57, the articles yesterday were unclear.

FYI, I have deleted a bunch of posts saying that Coal was NOT taxed and that this was a fuel tax since they were inaccurate.

[os]

I wish it was higher. I've read it will be only about $60/year. I want a tax that will raise the gas price to $2/l.

[Stargazer]

If you live in Vancouver, then you don't need to drive your car and buy gasoline. But what about the rest of the people of BC who live in the suburbs and the interior where public transit is not readily available?

This is a tax grab that will do nothing to help the environment in any real way.

[os]

Originally Posted by Stargazer

If you live in Vancouver, then you don't need to drive your car and buy gasoline. But what about the rest of the people of BC who live in the suburbs and the interior where public transit is not readily available?

This is a tax grab that will do nothing to help the environment in any real way.

I too live in suburbs, my location means Greater Vancouver. I never use public transportation (except when flying ) and I hate it.
I don't care about other people. I care about me. I want fresh air and I would handle the increase in gas cost. I hope higher gas costs will quicken the introduction of electric cars (at least for city driving).

[Nanuuk]

Its a fuel tax plain and simple. Higher prices may effect personal consumption, but it will also drive higher costs on all products trucked into B.C. It will also force airlines, etc. to purchase their fuel elsewhere. It would be better to mandate higher standard fuel efficiencies on vehicles of every type. Also mandate home furnace minimum efficiencies. If B.C. wasn't paying lip service to this issue, they'd also regulate all their mines, pulp and paper mills, etc. with a true carbon tax.

[bete_noir]

Why would they tax electricity when it's generated by BC Hydro...i.e. hydro-electricity? Electricity in BC generates very low CO2 emissions. This is a carbon tax.....probably not enough to change most people's behaviour, but nonetheless it's a carbon tax - not an energy tax.

Just my $0.02....

[Stargazer]

Gas prices are much higher in Europe. Anyone know what percentage of electric cars are on the roads over there?

I don't mind paying more taxes to fund public transit projects like Skytrain or build alternative power sources like windmills, etc. but I don't have much faith in this carbon tax actually making any environmental impact.

[Stargazer]

Originally Posted by os

I don't care about other people. I care about me.

BTW, that's the same attitude that many corporations, governments, and nations have, too. Every "Green" person who thinks that is probably offset by an equal number of polluters with the same attitude .

[DLPAddict]

Call it whatever you want this is A tax nothing else

For any government now it is easier for them to use the "G" word to raise tax on any commodity in that case fuel and make people believe that would help transit system or the environment.

They did the same in Quebec a few years ago.

Depending of the engine size of your vehicle.
If the engine is above 3.0ltr you will pay a premium for every 100cc above 3.0ltr.
No emission test in that province and also for helping the transit system in city's well you have to pay $30.00 more on you registration every year ($250.00a year) even if you never saw any buses in you area and the nearest bus stop is 15 minutes of driving from your house.

And the transit service still suffer and accumulate deficit every year.

It is simple use the money for what it is intend to.

And maybe only maybe it will make a difference.

[jwt873]

The tax is supposed to be (somewhat) revenue neutral... The government is reducing the provincial income tax and cutting a $100 cheque for all BC residents to 'even things out'.

If you don't drive or use much carbon, you come out ahead... If you drive a lot, then you lose.

[blakew]

Other than the ZENN (Who killed the electric car? Part 2), and GM's EV1 (Who killed the electric car?) what other options are there for electric vehicles? None of the major car manufacturers are making EVs, so using europe as an example of how higher gas costs doesn't equal higher EV ownership isn't fair. When the only electric cars on the roads are home garage conversions, you're never going to see many, regardless of the cost of gas.

[57]

Gas prices are much higher in Europe. ... but I don't have much faith in this carbon tax actually making any environmental impact.

Although people in Europe still purchase vehicles to get around and use fuel, there are some dramatic differences partly due to the higher price of fuel.

They typically drive shorter distances.
They typically bicycle or walk a lot more

And the vehicles that they purchase are significantly different, being smaller and using half the fuel per unit distance, therefor half the greenhouse gases per unit distance, but significantly less than half the greenhouse gases per vehicle-person-year.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show...%2A#post509396

[Nighthawk 1]

Well I tend to see this as another tax grab. While we can make some decisons to limit driving, there are cases (if you have kids in sports/other activities you know what I mean) where public transit is not an option. I recently filled my oil tank and almost keeled over to find the price has doubled within the past year. What options do I have? There is no natural gas on my street, my furnace was purchased about 5 years ago and is a high-efficiency model. Still, my oil bill was almost $1000 (on one fill). I'm almost tempted to go back to burning wood again.

The trucking industry will inevitable pass on increased costs to the consumers as will every other business faced with increased costs due to this tax. So the average taxpayer is hit not once, but multiple times. So again, give me some options as to how to change the way I heat my house (in an affordable way that I don't have to remortgage my house) and I'll feel better about this.