Quebec unveils carbon tax

There was a long yak on one of the Montreal talk radio stations this morning and the liberal moderator actually asked the 'brilliant' (/sarcasm off) question, Do you think the company's will pay the tax or pass it on to consumers?.

Such a level of intelligence and basic understanding of economics.

Read my lips - Company's don't pay taxes! They are always passed on to the consumer in some form or other.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid thing to do."

Not so fast, doc. Let's think about it a little.

Here's an excellent article in Forbes

Presently, we (in the US) have subsidies, credits, deductions, tax surcharges, earmarks and research boondoggles. Here's a way to make life simpler: Chuck out all energy legislation, replacing it with a one-sentence statute that levies a tax on carbon emissions.

We're talking a lot of revenue--enough, if the full rate were in place today and no one responded with changes in air-conditioning and driving habits, to replace the personal income tax. It would add $1.65 to the price of a gallon of gasoline. It would triple your electric bill if your utility were entirely coal fired. The purpose, though, would be not just to raise revenue but to change behavior. In 30 years' time, coal utilities would get very imaginative about switching to nuclear or finding some way to stuff carbon dioxide down a well hole. You would have long since retired your Suburban.

Now think of the legislative pollution that could be removed. The guzzler tax (up to $7,700) could be repealed; it is, after all, none of the government's business whether I waste gas by driving a big car or by making unnecessary trips to the pharmacy. Repeal mileage regulations (27.5 miles per gallon for cars, 21.6 for pickups). Get rid of the hybrid tax credit (up to $3,400). Forget George Bush's plan to spend $1.2 billion on hydrogen and $150 million on grass clippings.

We could find other employment for the lobbyists who tell us that ethanol is a winner; now, for the very first time, the chemical would succeed or fail on its own carbon merits. We wouldn't need the $2,000 solar credit or the $150 for qualified water heaters or the $50 for advanced circulating fans. We wouldn't need the tax forms for any of these things.

and...we would not need all those bureaucrats at the Energy Department.

This is not to say that a) the bureaucrats wouldn't think of ways to spend the revenue, b) wouldn't get rid of the legislation it is supposed to replace

Gas prices are already double in Canada what they are in the U.S. and it's all taxes.

Gas prices are more like 25% higher in Canada, mainly due to taxes. According to the gasprices.com averages, a gallon of regular gasoline averages about $2.87 per gallon here and $0.96 (C$1.07) per liter in Canada. 1 gallon is 3.785 liters. So gas in Canada averages about $3.63 per gallon. Of course, gas prices are higher in some provinces (usually in Atlantic Canada) than others due to mainly to taxes, just like gas prices vary per state for the same reason.

This new carbon tax will make Quebec less competitive with the rest of Canada and the U.S. Of course it will be passed along to consumers. The tax is a dumb idea.

The problem is, it's the government. If they pass a carbon tax, they will make none of those other changes. IF they first would abolish all other environmental regulations on the energy industry, the idea might have some merit. For example, you suggest that coal-fired utilities might change to nuclear. How could that happen in the current regulatory climate? The real problem is that the libs intend to use a carbon tax destroy modern industry, not change it. Wake up and smell the woodsmoke.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.