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Why, during any debate about the carbon tax, does no one ever demand accountability from the corpos and oversight from the Feds?
Why is it legal for corpos to arbitrarily raise prices to offset THEIR tax? Why do we waste time calculating individual tax refunds that include climate tax rebates when it should be a tax paid by the corpo to the government as the cost of doing business?
It's supposed to be reflected in the price to the consumer. That's what's supposed to cause the consumers to make less carbon-intensive choices.
For goods or services that don't actually have any fossil carbon used, there probably should be a mechanism to call them out for misinformation.
If that's the case, then the whole process is as wrong-headed as can be. You can only choose an alternative if a viable alternative exists. Transit isn't supported enough to be a universally practical option while electric vehicles are too expensive and have infrastructure requirements that can't necessarily be met by everyone. And speaking as someone who's tried cycling, well, Edmonton is making some big moves, but In Calgary? Maybe I'll give it a shot again when I get tired of living.
And none of that covers the fact that what is being paid at the pump as a surcharge to cover carbon taxes holds no relationship at all with what the oil companies are paying. It's being used as an excuse to bilk the consumer even further and to line the pockets of investors.
80% of Canadians get more back than they pay. It's not a tax, it's a redistribution.
On the margin, it adds small incentives to shift consumer behaviour. Lots of people in warmer climates in Canada are shifting to e-bikes, for instance, and heat pumps are becoming increasingly common.
Sure, some Canadians are paying more than they get in rebates... like my old neighbour who commutes to work in an F-350, but that's the point. He shouldn't be driving to an office job in an industrial truck!
That's why the rebate.
People below a certain income and have less options get that tax money spent back.
Those who are wealthier and can afford other options like Electric vehicles and heat pumps don't get the money back. That money goes ideally towards developing green infrastructure like charging stations (no idea if they actually do, but that's the idea)
It's not wrong headed at all. There is always an alternative.
In some cases that alternative is transit. In some cases that alternative is cycling. In some cases that alternative is carpooling. In some cases that alternative is driving an existing car more efficiently. In some cases that alternative is choosing to buy a ICE smaller car. In some cases that alternative is buying a BEV.
In all those cases, even a small step will reward someone for making that choise.
Im all for charging more taxes on high emissions goods, but allowing it to be a fuck you to the consumer that has to engage with capitalism and not the corpos who dont have to offer high emissions goods, kind of blurs the whole "Earth is dying" conundrum we're in.
Right, its my fault for buying gas for my car that I need to go to work to keep society functioning. Its not the gas companies fault or the car manufacturers fault. Its totally my bad for wanting a livable wage the only way you can get one.
And in your case you're likely breaking even or getting a little back from the carbon pricing system.
You as the consumer isn't been told fuck you. You're being slightly incentivised to make better choices, and rewarded if you do, but not penalized if you don't.
I think you're missing that you (likely) get more money back than you pay in. It's a restriction, not a tax. It's only the most egregiously inefficient drivers/home owners who are paying more.
As someone commuting in a reasonable car driving a reasonable distance in a reasonably efficient home, you have more money in your pocket every month. And if any of those aren't the case, then maybe it's time to make some changes (which is the whole point!)
Believe it or not, pulling money out of circulation and putting it promptly back in doesn't effect the total supply!
It's a canard for doing less about climate change without saying that outright, since their base demands the former and the broader public demands the latter. Plus, they get to talk about less taxes, which makes their other natural demographic happy.
Unfortunately, for way too many Canadians, believing fairy tales from PP and the Cons is more convenient than reality.
Well no shit, but it's still crippling the cash flow of citizens, on top of their money being worthless.
And before we go all "but the majority of people get more money back than they put in!"
I've never received a fucking dime back, and I'm in a very median tax bracket. Why do I need to jump through more hoops every year to get my money back? The extra cash flow is more beneficial than stock pilling my money with the government, and waiting for their slow ass to give it back
Just feels like virtue signalling bullshit.
I’ve never received a fucking dime back, and I’m in a very median tax bracket.
Are you sure? They send it out quarterly. I'm guessing you just didn't notice on your end.
The rebate is a small amount, because they only take a small amount.
Very sure. Guess I'll get on the phone and start having weeks worth of back and forth with our very competent and efficient CRA to see if back pay is an option
If you go on Canada.ca you can see all the history of the payments as well as how those payments were delivered and if there was some sort of problem, that's probably the best place to start.
I don't know what province you're in, but some of them have their own program.
You wouldn't be the first person who's sure they're not getting them, because they come as a direct deposit and slip under the radar.