Liberal minister has no doubt carbon tax is what we need

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Re: Liberals deserve praise for action on climate change (Todd Whitcombe column, Jan. 12).
Dr. Whitcombe said he “wanted to write something that was in praise of the government’s efforts around the environment because there are many steps and measures that they have undertaken in the past year that are a step in the right direction,” yet he took exception to the revenue-neutral carbon tax.

He asked “if it is revenue-neutral then how can it achieve a tax cut?” I want to assure your readers that B.C.’s revenue-neutral carbon tax is very simple. It taxes pollution and returns every penny of the revenue collected through tax cuts, such as the five-per-cent income tax cut this government introduced last year. This encourages individuals to reduce their carbon emissions by taxing pollution, rather than their income, allowing people to save money while protecting the environment.
Failure to return all revenue collected from the carbon tax to British Columbians will result in a financial penalty for the minister of finance.

This government is not alone in favouring a revenue-neutral carbon tax. Seventy leading economists and many other experts have endorsed it. The tax cuts made possible by the carbon tax will help keep British Columbia competitive with other jurisdictions, encourage investment, create jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The B.C. Liberal government is being open about the costs of our revenue-neutral tax on carbon emissions, and we are giving every British Columbian the ability to make choices to reduce their carbon footprint and the amount they spend on energy. Find out how you can choose to save money at
– Colin Hansen
Minister of Finance