B.C. Tory Leader John Rustad accused the NDP’s David Eby of having a “secret” plan to keep the carbon tax alive through a backdoor $3 billion levy.
Days before the launch of the election campaign last month, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby made a surprise announcement.
Said Rustad: “David Eby pretends his new tax will only apply to so-called ‘big polluters,’ but the truth is it’s a tax on everyone and everything. In reality, the costs will be passed down to everyday British Columbians in the form of higher prices for goods, services and essentials.”
Rustad’s statements are misleading and need context.
It’s true the carbon tax will remain on industrial polluters, including in the oil-and-gas and mining sectors. But Eby said he would continue to ensure the big polluters are paying their fair share, not the same as a secret $3 billion levy.
The B.C. Business Council’s chief economist, Ken Peacock, says he doesn’t know the exact figure but agreed the new system will reduce tax revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
In a larger context, there are other considerations.
It means removing the consumer tax would hurt low income individuals and families who get back more in tax credits than they spend on the carbon tax at the fuel pump and for home heating.
And there remain serious concerns about the effect of the carbon tax on the economy.
The B.C. NDP government has vociferously disputed how to interpret their modelling, with former B.C. environmental minister George Herman saying that there were developments that could offset, even exceed, the projected negative impacts, including in the clean energy and clean technology sectors.