Mayor Welcomes Programs to Offset Carbon Tax

Friday, May 16, 2008 03:48 AM

Prince George, B.C. - Prince George Mayor Colin Kinsley is looking forward to getting more information on the programs available that will offset the impact of the Provincial carbon tax.

“For example, we didn’t know there were funds available, a ten million dollar fund and a 20 million dollar fund, that we can apply to, to mitigate some of this.”

Mayor Kinsley says the City has completed its own cost analysis of the carbon tax and estimates that in heating costs alone, by 2012 the tax will add $94 thousand dollars a year. “If its going to be revenue neutral we need some grants to offset that, maybe to retrofit some of our buildings, or put more money into public transportation.”

Kinsley says the carbon tax is not going to be as expensive as he thought, and it will be a lot less expensive for smaller communities “Show us how we get the money back and people will buy into it some more.” Kinsley says there is only one source for funding and that is the taxpayer. “We qualify for funding for hybrid vehicles, but there are no hybrid snow plows. We don’t have the discretionary call. When we get a foot and a half of snow, I’ve got to get people out there so we can get goods to market and people to work, so if we can get some of that money back to spend in other areas that are energy related, I think the public will be less upset.”

The Premier says the Provincial government is willing to listen to the concerns, but the carbon tax will be imposed, and there won’t be any exemptions.

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Posted on Friday, May 16, 2008 03:48 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on May 16 2008 7:39 AM

Nice to know the city is going to be taken care of by the increase in taxes on the taxpayer.
So if the city is happy and the province is happy and the feds are happy, then everyone is happy - right?

Posted by: BCRacer on May 16 2008 8:08 AM

I agree, I had no doubt that there would be compensation for the governments and we the little guys get it....well you know..
I wouldn't be so upset "IF" it was going to make a difference, somewhere, somehow

Posted by: lostfaith on May 16 2008 9:24 AM

I get a kick out of their buzz words.... Revenue Nuetral.
That means that local governments can apply for grants, (TAXPAYERS DOLLARS)that will bring their mismanaged budgets back into line.
Sounds like a bunch of lawyers got together to figure this scam out.

Kinsley says..."the carbon tax is not going to be as expensive as he thought"

Thats because he doesn't have to pay for this tax scam out of his pocket, we all do.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on May 16 2008 11:54 AM

good point lostfaith!

Posted by: BCRacer on May 16 2008 1:18 PM

In my opinion, I guess we now know why Campbell and his lapdogs got their nice big raise....

Posted by: Harbinger on May 16 2008 8:17 PM

Wanna bet hizzoner moves to Vancouver Island after he "quits"?

Posted by: owl on May 16 2008 11:37 PM

Revenue neutral simply means that the total tax paid and the total tax collected stays the same as prior to the taxation change. So, some things will be taxed less, and others will be taxed more.

So, if you want to attempt to change people's eating habits, add taxes to fatty foods, for instance, and subdsidize lean meats ..... then cross your fingers and hope you can change eating habits by manipulating the marketplace through tax disinsentives and tax insentives.

That might work for those won a VERY tight budgeet, but won't affect the mid to upper level earners one bit. Whether such minipulation of the marketplace is revenue neutral will only be found through long term experience.

Posted by: socredible on May 17 2008 12:51 PM

Owl, what business is it of the "government's" what ANYONE "eats"?

That's YOUR business, or MY business, or anyone else's personal business as it applies to the choices we all make personally as "individuals". If we eat fatty crap when more healthful food is also available, and have a heart attack as a result, the responsibility is solely ours. As an individual.

It's high time we got rid of all this "elitist" nonsense that tax policy should be used to "make" people conform to some standard set by someone who presumes to know what's better for each of us than we know ourselves.

Taxes are for raising revenue to spend on the services we agree government can best provide us. Period. They should NEVER be used to FORCE someone to do what some supposedly 'superior' being thinks they should do. That makes a mockery of the whole concept of 'democracy' ~ which properly is, "the ability of each of us, as an individual, to make our own policy effective unto ourselves."