Facts can be so inconvenient sometimes:
Liberal officials say a large portion of carbon tax would be collected in Alberta, given that Alberta companies emit more than 40 per cent of carbon emissions from major facilities in Canada. Many of those are oil, gas and mining facilities. In the fourth year of their plan, the tax would be $40 per tonne of emissions, with the 700 large final emitters across Canada - heavy industry and power plants - paying the majority of an estimated $15 billion tax revenues. Alberta’s share of income tax cuts, aimed in part at offsetting higher home heating and other prices as the tax is passed onto consumers, will also be high because Alberta is the wealthiest province, Liberals say
Interesting concept.. the province that would likely be the most affected initially by the Green Shift would also get the largest income tax cuts to their province because of that. That doesn’t appear to me like the Liberals “screwing” Alberta, but acknowledging that and making sure the populace receives the most tax relief in the “shift ” part of the program. I’d imagine that citizens of Saskatchewan would see a similar benefit as well.
But hey, don’t let me get in the way of some of your persecution complex out there, both on the blogs and with now apparent de-facto new Environment Minister Jason Kenny trying to fan the flames of regionalism. I mean, why let some facts get in the way of some good old-fashioned hyperbole?
UPDATE@10:55am: This article by Carol Goar in the Star today makes me confident a majority of Canadians will not fall for the fearmongering: that they are determined to change their behaviour to help the environment despite the potential economic downturn we may face as a nation, with this key line in the piece showing some polling evidence:
Canadian pollster Angus Reid, who has seen the environment peak and wane in public opinion many times, detected a fundamental shift in the nation’s values about a year ago. He’d never interviewed so many Canadians who had made up their minds to change their behaviour. The consensus spanned generations, socio-economic classes and regions (except Alberta). “This time, it’s real,” he said. “Our culture is going to change.”
40% of the revenue generated under Dion’s plan comes from Alberta and Saskatchewan. Pretty sure that’s what they call a transfer of wealth from an area where about 3 million people live to an area where the bulk of Canada lives. So, in short - 40% from 3 million and 60% from 27 million. Sounds like a catalyst for trouble from here in Saskatoon.