Murphy’s Logic: The carbon tax should be fairer
Benjamin Franklin said nothing is certain except death and taxes.
We can’t do much about the first but the second is a different matter. In a free society, through government, we have at least some say over what is taxed and at what rate.
The principal purpose of taxation is to raise money to pay for the provision of government services. But it’s also used as a blunt instrument to shape or modify behaviour.
Consistent tax increases helped curtail smoking by forcing people to quit for financial reasons. The same technique is now being employed to curb the consumption of carbon fuels.
Government claims many people will be effectively rebated the carbon taxes they pay -- but where’s the deterrent if there’s no penalty?
One way to make a carbon tax more effective and fairer is to target voluntary consumption. Until electric cars become the norm, and oil and coal are replaced as power sources, most people have no choice but to use carbon fuel for basic transportation and heating.
A choice to waste fuel is another matter.
Let’s start at the drive-thru. The convenience of staying in the car, needlessly burning gas or diesel instead of walking inside for a coffee or burger, should come with a non-refundable cost: 10 or 15 per cent seems right. That’s 25 or 30 cents on a typical drive-thru coffee. Double that for a burger. And while we’re at it, let’s charge a deposit on disposable cups and containers, with a refund for people who voluntarily pick them up from the side of the road.
The best part is the only people who pay, are those who choose to.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.