Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

Who will end up paying for that carbon tax exemption for the Greenhouse industry giveaway? We will!

 

A RISE IN THE CARBON TAX was no April Fools joke for the people of BC.

Carbon taxes imposed by the Provincial and Federal governments will go from a current rate of $50 per tonne ... to $65 per tonne ... a THIRTY percent increase.

According to a Global News story, from today forward over the next 365 days we’ll be paying an extra 3 cents per litre of gas ... 17 cents for diesel ... and heating our home with natural gas will cost an extra 12 cents per cubic metre.

Now maybe we can drive less, so as to keep the increased cost of the carbon tax on fuel to a minimal amount – MAYBE – but what about those of us in the Interior and Northern BC that would appreciate the heat of our natural gas furnaces?

From the start, I have NEVER understood why a necessity like home heating fuel gets hit with the carbon tax. Heating our home isn’t some frivolous thing ... it’s not a luxury ... it’s a NECESSITY!

Of course, the Carbon Tax is just one small part of the costs associated with heating our homes with natural gas. Take my most recent bill for example, which had a total cost of $166.38.

Of that amount, only $49 was the actual cost of the gas.  Then there were the following multiple fees and taxes:


Basic Charge to be connected to the Fortis BC system ... $13.49

Delivery Fee ... which came in at a whopping $56.36

Storage and Transport of the natural gas ... $10.77

  • TOTAL of $80.62

 

Municipal operating fee of $4.01

BC Clean Energy levy ... $0.53

GST ... $7.90

  • TOTAL of $12.44

 

As well as the aforementioned Carbon Tax which comes in at $24.31

So, looking at my Fortis bill ... just 30% is for the actual cost of the gas --- the rest is all of those taxes ... fees ... levies ... and the absurd category of connection costs, delivery, and storage / transport.

But, the provincial government of NDP Premier David Eby isn’t finished dipping into our pockets. To add insult to injury, the Agriculture Ministry sent out a media release on Friday (March 31st) touting a carbon tax exemption for greenhouse growers:

New carbon tax exemption improves greenhouse grower cash flow

“The greenhouse carbon tax exemption will provide eligible greenhouse operations with an 80% exemption to carbon tax, which will be implemented on April 1, 2023, by the Ministry of Finance”    

So, while WE as residents of BC are FORCED to pay the carbon tax on a necessity --- home heating fuel ... the Greenhouse industry gets an EIGHTY PERCENT EXEMPTION.

And who will end up paying for that carbon tax exemption for the Greenhouse industry giveaway?  We will!

I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t sit well with me ... what about you?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BC cannot regulate, redesign, and reinterpret its way to a stable forestry sector. Communities need clear rules, predictable timelines, and accountability for results.

Photo credit:  Atli Resources LP   BC’s Forestry Crisis Continues with Closure of Beaver Cove Chip Facility   As industry leaders, Indigenous partners, and contractors gather this week at the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George, the gap between government rhetoric and reality could not be clearer. Just hours after the Eby government once again touted reconciliation, certainty, and economic opportunity under DRIPA, Atli Chip Ltd, a company wholly owned by the ’Na̱mg̱is First Nation, announced it is managing the orderly closure of its Beaver Cove chip facility. The closure comes despite public tax dollars, repeated government announcements, and assurances that new policy frameworks would stabilize forestry employment and create long-term opportunity in rural and coastal British Columbia. “British Columbians are being told one story, while communities are living another,” said Ward Stamer, Critic for Forests. “This closure makes it clear that announcement...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stamer: Hope for Forestry Completely Shattered After Another Provincial Review Driven by DRIPA

IMAGE CREDIT:  Provincial Forestry Advisory Council Conservative Critic for Forests Ward Stamer says the final report from the Provincial Forestry Advisory Council confirms the worst fears of forestry workers and communities; instead of addressing the real issues driving mill closures and job losses, the NDP has produced a report that ignores industry realities and doubles down on governance restructuring. Despite years of warnings from forestry workers, contractors, and industry organizations about permitting delays, regulatory costs, fibre access, and the failure of BC Timber Sales, the PFAC report offers no urgency, no timelines, and no concrete action to stop the ongoing decline of the sector. “ This report completely shatters any remaining hope that the government is serious about saving forestry ,” said Stamer.  “ We didn’t need another study to tell us what industry has been saying for years. While mills close and workers lose their livelihoods, the NDP is focused on re...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH – My question is, ‘How do we decide who is blue enough to be called a Conservative?’

How do we decide who’s blue enough to be a Conservative? AS OF TODAY (Friday January 30 th ), there are now eight individuals who have put their names forward to lead the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Having been involved with BC’s Conservatives since 2010, and having seen MANY ups and downs, having 8 people say “I want to lead the party” is to me, an incredible turn-around from the past. Sadly, however, it seems that our party cannot seem to shake what I, and others, call a purity test of ‘what is a Conservative’. And that seems to have already come to the forefront of the campaign by a couple of candidates. Let me just say as a Conservative Party of BC member, and as someone active in the party, that frustrates me to no end. Conservatives, more than any other political philosophy or belief, at least to me, seems to have the widest and broadest spectrum of ideals.   For the most part, they are anchored by these central thoughts --- smaller and less intru...
1 comment
Read more

Labels

Show more