Back on Jan. 1, 2017, the NDP government implemented what is arguably their most controversial initiative — the Alberta Carbon Levy.
The hit was immediately felt in an increase of 4.49 cents per litre at the gas pump (or 5.35 cents for diesel), as well as an increase in natural gas and propane bills.
Without question, the carbon levy has been a burden for residents, farmers, businesses, municipalities, schools, libraries and public institutions. To many, it’s an unnecessary tax to fight a nebulous threat that promises uncertain repercussions.
To that end, repealing the provincial carbon levy was the most popular policy at the United Conservative Party’s recent AGM, with 98 per cent of members voting in favour of it.
We’re not going to weigh in on the likelihood that the United Conservative Party will successfully fight the federal carbon levy.
We’re also not going to offer a bunch of arguments for the necessity of the carbon levy to combat climate change. At this point, you either believe in climate change, or you don’t.
Instead, we’ll point that out, in terms of mitigating the “damage” of the carbon levy, the proverbial genie is already out of the bottle.
The province was expecting to collect just over $1 billion from the carbon levy in the first year and around $1.4 billion in the second.
Some of that is going into rebates, but much of it is going towards programs to help regular Albertans, businesses and farms reduce emissions.
If you flip to Page 11A of this week’s Westlock News, you can read about a two-year project at Pembina Hills where the division will replace all of its fluorescent lights with LED lights.
It will cost $447,000, but the division expects to recoup that in about three years through energy savings and provincial rebates.
Our point is that opposing the carbon levy money is already being spent in homes, farms, businesses and schools.
Gripe about it if you must, but eliminating the carbon levy won’t magically return those missing dollars to your bank account. A burden it may be, but the burden has already been felt.
