Asking some carbon tax advice
By Letter to the Editor on November 21, 2018.
Dear Premier Notley and Prime Minister Trudeau, I am writing to ask for your advice. I have followed your campaigns and victories in the last elections and have been particularly intrigued with your plan to combat climate change via a carbon tax. I recalled seeing that idea being promoted previously in another country and thanks to Google, I found that Australia had tried this plan, only to abandon it when emissions actually increased with the implementation of the tax. Heeding your advice on this matter, I decided to alter my behaviour so that I could avoid paying this tax. To be honest, being a single parent of two sons that are both enrolled in post-secondary studies and me already working two jobs, I didn’t really have a choice financially but to change to avoid taxes I can’t afford. So I reduced my electrical consumption by turning out lights and not running my air conditioning, despite the sweltering Medicine Hat heat (only one episode of heat stroke on the day it reached 40 C) in order to avoid the tax. I also took my savings and installed low flow toilets, an energy efficient furnace, solar panels and added insulation, etc. I even reduced the amount that I drive by walking more and not warming up my vehicle but instead driving it cold. What’s a little engine damage between friends right? I took advantage of some minor rebates from various levels of government, but these measures cleaned me out. I’m not planning on retiring anytime soon and so I have lots of time to rebuild my nest egg. I had hoped that I would qualify for the provincial low income rebate, but my two jobs put me at too high an income. I feel I have done everything I can to contribute to reducing emissions. But then two things happened to make me pause and reconsider my tact. The first was that even though I had done all of this and spent all of this money, I was still paying even more for food and other essential items whose price increased due to the carbon tax and I was still paying carbon tax on the energy items even though I had reduced my consumption. I considered eating less to make up this financial shortfall, but I need the energy for my two jobs and the walking I now do to reduce my driving. The second one actually came as a bit of a shock, as I hadn’t really thought about it, maybe you hadn’t either. But I awoke the other morning to see that the temperature was at -12 C. I’m not sure why, but I forgot all about winter! Thankfully, my natural gas furnace was there to provide heat so I wouldn’t freeze and so my new low flow toilets wouldn’t crack. But it means I pay carbon tax on the natural gas consumed. Unfortunately, winter just doesn’t fit into my budget with respect to the carbon tax. I am looking to you as our leaders for advice on how I can avoid paying carbon tax on these essential items. By the way, do you have any updates on the effect the tax has had on emissions? I want to compare it to what Australia experienced. Jim Taylor Medicine Hat 11-10
So Jim Taylor thinks it’s smart to point out the Australian situation while he ignores the fact that it’s been proven that it’s been working in many other places around the world. We get it you don’t give a damn about global warming or our children’s future and we aren’t interested in anything you have to say. Conservatives voted in the NDP in the last election and you aren’t capable of understanding why?
Have you talked to any Australians about it, of course not, I have. Over the past few years I have been on 8 different cruise ships travelling around the world and in each case have met many Australians on these ships. We always have a good laugh at how we are taking a break from our winter, while they are taking a break from their summer heat. I have talked to them a lot about the Carbon Tax . While it was Prime Minister Tony Abbott who scrapped the carbon tax, and was voted out of office. From what I understand The new prime minister, Scott Morrison has apparently promised a new form of Carbon Tax, more like the Alberta one, and he has the support of the people.
So let’s get it straight Jim Taylor doesn’t care that our young families have had to deal with over crowded classrooms, the highest school fees in Canada, the highest day care fees, and the highest after school fees. My son is paying $1,800. per month for after school fees for his two sons. Taylor doesn’t care that he paid the highest power bills in Canada for 14 years, is still paying the second highest, next to Ontario, is paying the highest provincial taxes in Canada, the highest vehicle registration fees, the second highest auto insurance next to P.E.I, the high fees added to his power and gas bills , not to mention what deregulation did to his grocery bills, and he doesn’t care what it’s done to low income families , widows, widowers or single parents. Now he can’t wait to start paying Jason Kenney’s high two-tiered American style health care fees, totally ignorant of the fact that it will put a lot more seniors in a worse financial mess, and he doesn’t care? It isn’t hard to understand why con-artists target seniors, it’s so easy to do and Kenney is definitely targeting seniors.