Canadian Carbon Tax Proposal Getting Lackluster Reception

We’ve written a few times recently (here and here) about Canadian Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion’s plan for a carbon tax, and the lackluster reception it is receiving. Dion has been trying to emphasize that the carbon tax will include redistributing tax cuts on other things, to little avail.

Over at Filibuster Cartoons, Canadian cartoonist J.J. McCullough offers this take, writing:

Liberal leader Stephane Dion has staked a great deal of his political future on a proposed Carbon Tax, which, should he be elected Prime Minister, will tax all gasoline purchases made in Canada.

Dion wants the tax to be “revenue neutral,” which is to say it won’t actually bring any more money into the government, because he’ll accompany it with tax cuts in other areas. So it’s really more of a punishment tax than anything else.

The Liberals say it will do wonderful things in the long run, namely get people to drive less and invest more in green energy. But to many people, a tax is a tax, and promising more of them is never a great way to get elected.

McCullough’s cartoon:

More on gasoline and energy taxes here and here.