Sometimes, we should be careful what we ask for and vote for - we may get it.
Recently an aspiring politician to the right, under the label of “This Democracy”, wrote in a British Columbian newspaper, and joined the BC New Democrats dismissal of the BC’s government’s special carbon tax. Among other perplexing ends he claims that tax and hence higher prices on gasoline “won’t reduce gas consumption” and reduces CO2 emission in Canada, and carbon tax is “a tax on Western Civilization”. I trust when the society that makes up this Canadian democratic governed economy, consider such views. Uses common sense and call to mind that politics cannot be understood without the use of natural and social science and seek relevant information. Recall, that in democratic governed mixed economies such as Canada I assume we all appreciate to live in. Resources are allocated and rationed by pricing, and planning through the elected legislation and by tax. The system of prices rations the quantity of goods including gas the consumer can buy. Therefore, reality higher tax on gasoline and energy in North America would have forced the North American automotive industry to develop new more fuel-efficient technology and selling products. Higher taxes and higher price on gasoline would have stimulated more investment in research, and the Canadian and US industry would have been in much better shape. Why not lower taxed on gasoline and stimulate production of large SUV’s and trucks. Consider where the more fuel efficient cars are coming from, it is not from economies with low fuel taxes. A to politics and taxes a good start for voters would be to look for correlation between economic and ecological conditions in economies around the world and tax and disparity in opportunities. High taxed economies, and with less disparity such as Scandinavia, is doing pretty good? The price of gasoline in Scandinavia is around 3.20/litre, mostly tax and has always been more than double the price in Canada. I don’t believe even ultra rightwing politicians will consider the Scandinavian countries as Norway, Sweden Finland, and Denmark to be a threat to the Western Civilization. Research shows that the earth is warming up, - yet to be proven false. Research such as at Epica in Antarctica, shows CO2 and methane is higher and increase 200 times faster than it has for the past 650,000 – and nor proven false. Warming has happened before, it is unclear if or to what degree the warming and climate changes is caused of humans economic production including use of gasoline, there is no conclusive evidence. What is conclusive evidence, that cannot be proven false, is that the human population, with unlimited aspiration, is growing fast while the resources to achieve the aspiration are limited and has alternative uses. Rather than being political philosophically fanatical over taxes. The voters in “This Democracy” Canada should be fanatical about the standard in government and how taxes are used. I consider filing a complaint to the BC Human Right Commission for insult to my intelligence of the hundred dollar climate dividend. What is needed is more investment in social relevant research to increased understanding it is where the dividend should have be send. Alternatively, there are a lot of countries in the world to move to with virtually no or low taxes, also on gasoline. Sometimes, we should be careful what we ask for and vote for - we may get it.”
OISD
July 28, 2008