Saturday, September 13, 2008

Dion to Harmonize Greenshift with B.C. Carbon tax.

Well that didn't take long. If the clip I saw tonight on the CBC National News is accurate, Stephane Dion says that he will harmonize his carbon tax with the oh so popular B.C. provincial carbon tax. (update: confirmed Dion did say he would harmonize the 2 taxes)

Here is the clip from CBC. Tell me if what I am hearing is wrong when Dion answers a question from a young gentleman asking about B.C. being punished with double carbon taxes.



That sounds like he said he would harmonize to me. Policy on the fly or was this in Dion's play book all along?

It is hard to tell what is going on as Dion has already claimed not to have spoken with Premier Campbell on this subject, even though the Premier had said the opposite, and this is by far not the first time Dion has flip flopped on a carbon tax, so nothing surprises me when it comes to Liberal policy lately.

Now we await the details or as I like to describe it as 'more policy on the fly.'

Does the money collected all stay in B.C, does the existing $100 dollars residents receive effect the GS tax cuts, how does the loss, or increase, in revenue to the feds get paid out, or paid for, by the rest of the country, how does carbon in B.C.now get priced, and other provinces, including Alberta, are taxing carbon, when can they expect a 'side deal'? I am sure there are plenty more but those are a few off the top of my head. I eagerly await the response tomorrow.

Oh, and just for fun one more question. What will Iggy say?

OK, I know that was not fair since Iggy is already in enough trouble today after he made a claim of his own about the Green Shift which totally contradicts Dion, the GS documentation, and the commitment to have 100% of the money collected to go back to Canadians via tax cuts.

Our environmental policy is very simple: we want to decrease the tax on income. Most Canadians will get a tax cut from an incoming Liberal government, and we want to raise money for roads by taxing pollution. We cannot go on treating the earth as a garbage dump"

You know; it is almost as if some people are trying to derail the Liberal election chances from within, but that is for another post.

11 comments:

hunter said...

Sounds like harmonize to me, maybe that's why Danny Boy is so silent on the green shaft, bet he has a deal with the Liberals too!

So, the Liberals have a pact with Campbell and the Green Party, who else??

Ardvark said...

This and the 22 minutes handcuff video. I never thought I would say this but thank you CBC.

Anonymous said...

With one off deals for everyone (BC, NL getting who knows what promises, Paul Zed's refinery, PEI delayed implementation and suggested bonuses, just in the last few days) except the oil producing provinces on the prairies it is looking more and more that the fears that this is simply a tax grab on the oil industry on the prairie who won't vote liberal to try to buy voter support with handouts and subsidies to Ontario and Quebec. The tax is becoming more and more targeted with the one off deals and the losers are Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The talk of the carbon tax being a national unity issue has absolutely nothing to do with Quebec and everything to do with the oil producing regions on the prairies. Are the people there prepared to have their industry and resources and economy devastated again by a Liberal government with the intent of weakening western growth, transfer funds east and shore up the Liberal electoral future?

No way!Once is more than enough.

Quebec can never afford to separate. The West could never afford to stay under that regime.

The Clarity Act establishes the mechanism and Canada as it is will be consigned to the dustbin of history. A wonderful legacy of Liberal Ontario bad policy.

Maybe that's the Liberal master plan? They won't vote Liberal out there so lets drive them out of the country before they infect the rest of the country with non Liberal thought.Better to lose some territory and few miserable hicks and mean spirit ignorant rubes than risk the Liberal stranglehold on minds.

Skinny Dipper said...

I saw the Harper-22 Minutes news story. Harper is definitely going to get the S & M vote. I guess that is the consolation prize for not getting the SSM (same-sex marriage) vote. Handcuff me.

Anonymous said...

I can't imagine that the Green Shift carbon tax will be anything but the most regressive tax ever created.

Consider, who is likely to pollute the most? The financially secure who can afford a new, pricey fuel efficient vehicle, or the family with the clunker that they need to get a couple of more years out of? The family with the new, modern home or the one with the 1970's era insulation and energy rating?

At the same time, those people struggling with their less environmentally friendly homes and cars are going to have the lower incomes, thereby benefitting less from the "promised" income tax cuts.

Anonymous said...

How does one harmonize a consumption tax (BC) with a wholesale tax (GS)? Or am I misunderstanding how these taxes are implemented?

Anonymous said...

Green tax my arse!The only green in the liberals green tax is the colour of money.Lets call it what it really is ,just another tax grab.I pay gst,pst,fed taxes ,provincial taxes,taxes on top of taxes,hidden taxes,user fees,and who knows what other hidden taxes.So the solution is quite simple in my opinion,vote dion and his party of thieves into oblivion.
No more taxes!

Anonymous said...

I can't stand the Green Shift. There are so many reasons to dislike it.

One question completely off topic. How are things in Alberta these days? I'm looking at moving to Calgary (I have a job prospect there). I've driven through Calgary twice but never spent time there.

Eric

jad said...

Premier Campbell's poll numbers are in the tank, and at this point he doesn't stand a hope of being re-elected next May, mainly because of BC's wonderful new carbon tax. For Dion to come into BC and tell us that Campbell is a hero, or was it "reho", and to be admired, is really rubbing our noses in it.

Don't expect to see very many Liberals re-elected in BC.

Ardvark said...

The BC tax is at the pumps which is the one thing Dion swears up and down that the Green Shift will not be applied to, so trying to harmonize the 2 will be interesting indeed as Dion either shafts BC or grants them special exemptions no other province gets.

Than again he could take the money raised at the pumps in BC and pay for the roads Iggy is promising in Ontario.

Ardvark said...

Skinny D, if that is what you think the result of having the country see that news clip was; than keep on believing buddy.