Thursday, January 24, 2008
No Carbon Taxation Without Misrepresentation
Last year, the Quebec Government, in its bid to do something that looked environmental, launched a Green Fund.
What would the Green Fund do?
Fund environmental initiatives to reduce Quebec's carbon footprint, says the environment minister. Alright, says the typical Canadian, sounds reasonable.
Who will Fund the Fund?
Polluters. But specifically, big energy producers. Not so much users of the energy, just the producers, promised the Liberal government. Quebeckers, half-asleep, think this impossibility makes sense.
So what's happened?
Gaz Metropolitain, the large natural gas provider in Quebec, has passed its green fund tax along to its consumers.
How do the consumers react?
Totally bamboozled. When their government said this tax would NOT be passed along to consumers but would defy economic gravity and simply reduce profits of the energy producers, they believed it. Which is why Chuckercanuck wants to remind these sophisticated consumers that there are still a few slots in Chuckercanuck's carbon offsetting services - he'll stay home and watch Food network on Friday night for $50.
How do the environmental agitators react?
The Sierra Club and Greenpeace are livid, saying that Gaz Metro is not being a good corporate citizen. See, the ugly part of environmental agitation is that the environment is a beard for socialism. If reduction of GHGs is the goal, consumers have to reduce consumption. Producers will reduce production as consumers reduce consumption. So, the idea that consumers should be protected from a Green Fund Carbon Tax is ridiculous. That these environmental agigators are upset at what amounts to an annual increase of $15 on the gas bill is even more pathetic - its a tiny, tiny price to pay; so tiny as to be negligible for most consumers. Tokenism at its best. However, the point was to stick it to big companies, not affect GHG emissions.
How does the Liberal government react?
Well, would you want to draw attention to the economic shell game you played on consumers last year when introducing a supposedly cost-free tax?
Conclusion
Watch out Canada! Liberals across the land fall asleep to dreams of tax-collecting sugar-plum fairies who will save the planet with cost-free tax schemes that "afffect producers not consumers". Costs cannot defy economic gravity: consumers pay for everything at day's end.
What would the Green Fund do?
Fund environmental initiatives to reduce Quebec's carbon footprint, says the environment minister. Alright, says the typical Canadian, sounds reasonable.
Who will Fund the Fund?
Polluters. But specifically, big energy producers. Not so much users of the energy, just the producers, promised the Liberal government. Quebeckers, half-asleep, think this impossibility makes sense.
So what's happened?
Gaz Metropolitain, the large natural gas provider in Quebec, has passed its green fund tax along to its consumers.
How do the consumers react?
Totally bamboozled. When their government said this tax would NOT be passed along to consumers but would defy economic gravity and simply reduce profits of the energy producers, they believed it. Which is why Chuckercanuck wants to remind these sophisticated consumers that there are still a few slots in Chuckercanuck's carbon offsetting services - he'll stay home and watch Food network on Friday night for $50.
How do the environmental agitators react?
The Sierra Club and Greenpeace are livid, saying that Gaz Metro is not being a good corporate citizen. See, the ugly part of environmental agitation is that the environment is a beard for socialism. If reduction of GHGs is the goal, consumers have to reduce consumption. Producers will reduce production as consumers reduce consumption. So, the idea that consumers should be protected from a Green Fund Carbon Tax is ridiculous. That these environmental agigators are upset at what amounts to an annual increase of $15 on the gas bill is even more pathetic - its a tiny, tiny price to pay; so tiny as to be negligible for most consumers. Tokenism at its best. However, the point was to stick it to big companies, not affect GHG emissions.
How does the Liberal government react?
Well, would you want to draw attention to the economic shell game you played on consumers last year when introducing a supposedly cost-free tax?
Conclusion
Watch out Canada! Liberals across the land fall asleep to dreams of tax-collecting sugar-plum fairies who will save the planet with cost-free tax schemes that "afffect producers not consumers". Costs cannot defy economic gravity: consumers pay for everything at day's end.
Comments:
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It's all part of a brillant plan by the Alberta Federal Conservatives to assist Albertan's in defraying the cost of clean-up by pegging the carbon tax onto our oil and gas exports.
I have heard we in Alberta are currently discussing our emmissions reduction plan with an eye towards having everyone else across the country pay for it except Alberta...
"Why yes," we'll say, "we have increased our emmissions by 400%, but thanks to your carbon tax's being added to our exports, we've overall decreased consumption by charging you more for less than you had before."
Good to know the Quebec Liberals are breaking you consumers in slowly. That way when we whack you all over the head at the pumps, you'll already be broken in.
Just say yes to crude!!!
I have heard we in Alberta are currently discussing our emmissions reduction plan with an eye towards having everyone else across the country pay for it except Alberta...
"Why yes," we'll say, "we have increased our emmissions by 400%, but thanks to your carbon tax's being added to our exports, we've overall decreased consumption by charging you more for less than you had before."
Good to know the Quebec Liberals are breaking you consumers in slowly. That way when we whack you all over the head at the pumps, you'll already be broken in.
Just say yes to crude!!!
# posted by 
: Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:34:00 PM
: Thursday, January 24, 2008 4:34:00 PM
But ....but .... what about the mega-tonnes of money for everyone ?
And ponys , and lolipops and .....
And ponys , and lolipops and .....
What's wrong with ponies for everyone?
Any carbon tax will be paid by the lowly consumer/taxpayer. That's where the money comes from, one way or another.
A recent poll showed that many Canadians think a carbon tax is a great idea, if applied to energy companies. This just shows that many Canadians are idiots.
Any carbon tax will be paid by the lowly consumer/taxpayer. That's where the money comes from, one way or another.
A recent poll showed that many Canadians think a carbon tax is a great idea, if applied to energy companies. This just shows that many Canadians are idiots.
"There were also repeated requests from Liberals to pay party costs for videos and meals, associated with campaigns and organizing efforts. In two cases, he was asked for $50,000 cash payments. They were given to Renaud or to Gagliano's longtime ally, Morselli, who told him he had taken Corriveau's place, Brault said.
Brault testified he couldn't say if the party got the money. But he says he was led to believe they did. After completing a $50,000 cash payment, Corbeil called him up within 24 hours to say thanks, said Brault.
Brault also testified he was asked to bring $5,000 in an envelope to a Montreal Italian restaurant, called Frank's, where he met Morselli along with a Liberal fundraiser from Montreal's Jewish community. When the latter man arrived, Brault said he left the envelope on the table and then went to the toilet. When he came, back, the money — the first of four monthly payments — was gone and never discussed.
Meetings with Liberals could also turn sour, with the threat of losing lucrative federal contracts hanging in the air if favours weren't done, said Brault.
In 2001, when he was just coming back to work after a heart attack, Brault said he received an invitation from Renaud, whom he had let go a few months earlier, to meet him at an Italian restaurant. Tony Mignacca, a Liberal organizer with close ties to Gagliano, joined them for grappa, even though, Brault said, he wanted to go home.
"He was singing Alain's (Renaud's) praises, he was telling me how important it was to take Alain back," testified Brault. "And in not so veiled words — there wasn't so much grappa, so my memory is good — he implied the VIA (Rail) account was in danger. ...
"It pissed me off as we say in Quebec," said Brault, beginning to cry. "The timing just wasn't good, I was just coming back, I was convalescing."
Things got worse, though, in May 2002. "It was a tormented time. It was a well-known fact the auditor general had started to do some work."
Morselli called him for a meeting, he said, to talk about the fact Brault thought he might be under investigation. Brault agreed, but made sure that he arrived early to the private dining room in Club Saint-Denis, where he had entertained many Liberals.
"I was afraid he was wearing a body pack (microphone), like I had seen in the movies," said Brault. "So I got there 30 minutes ahead of time and I turned up the heat, and when Mr. Morselli came in I was very polite and I asked him to take off his jacket so he wouldn't be too warm. So that reassured me.
"He said take it easy," said Brault. "Keep a low profile ... let the storm blow over and things will be fine."
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Brault testified he couldn't say if the party got the money. But he says he was led to believe they did. After completing a $50,000 cash payment, Corbeil called him up within 24 hours to say thanks, said Brault.
Brault also testified he was asked to bring $5,000 in an envelope to a Montreal Italian restaurant, called Frank's, where he met Morselli along with a Liberal fundraiser from Montreal's Jewish community. When the latter man arrived, Brault said he left the envelope on the table and then went to the toilet. When he came, back, the money — the first of four monthly payments — was gone and never discussed.
Meetings with Liberals could also turn sour, with the threat of losing lucrative federal contracts hanging in the air if favours weren't done, said Brault.
In 2001, when he was just coming back to work after a heart attack, Brault said he received an invitation from Renaud, whom he had let go a few months earlier, to meet him at an Italian restaurant. Tony Mignacca, a Liberal organizer with close ties to Gagliano, joined them for grappa, even though, Brault said, he wanted to go home.
"He was singing Alain's (Renaud's) praises, he was telling me how important it was to take Alain back," testified Brault. "And in not so veiled words — there wasn't so much grappa, so my memory is good — he implied the VIA (Rail) account was in danger. ...
"It pissed me off as we say in Quebec," said Brault, beginning to cry. "The timing just wasn't good, I was just coming back, I was convalescing."
Things got worse, though, in May 2002. "It was a tormented time. It was a well-known fact the auditor general had started to do some work."
Morselli called him for a meeting, he said, to talk about the fact Brault thought he might be under investigation. Brault agreed, but made sure that he arrived early to the private dining room in Club Saint-Denis, where he had entertained many Liberals.
"I was afraid he was wearing a body pack (microphone), like I had seen in the movies," said Brault. "So I got there 30 minutes ahead of time and I turned up the heat, and when Mr. Morselli came in I was very polite and I asked him to take off his jacket so he wouldn't be too warm. So that reassured me.
"He said take it easy," said Brault. "Keep a low profile ... let the storm blow over and things will be fine."
# posted by : Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:19:00 PM
: Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:19:00 PM << Home
