"One should doubtless keep an open mind...though open at both ends, like the food pipe, and have a capacity for excretion as well as intake." -- Northrop Frye, 'The Great Code'
Sunday, July 1, 2012
CO2 (and carbon taxes) in perspective
British Columbia's Climate Action Plan perpetrated by Gordon Campbell in co-operation with Arnold Schwartzenager and others a few years back is still running full-speed-ahead. It's full of junk science and climate alarmism.
I agree with Johndoe124. Perhaps we are lucky that the government hasn't yet figured out a way to add a fairy dust tax, after all it amounts to the same thing.
I can´t agree. It is important to distinguish good and bad taxes. I agree that carbon taxes are not what we need right now. On the other hand, there are important areas of regulation that haven´t been regulated. What comes on my mind is for example real estate. The super expensive apartments in some cities make it impossible for ordinary people, which makes our city centers literally ghost towns. It is important to keep most risky real estate markets regulated. Some kind of tax regulation on unused property could be at least a first step for solution of the problem.
Governments are notorious for making things worse, distorting markets and prices, etc. While some taxation and regulation is undoubtedly needed, it should be kept to the bare minimum necessary to provide basic government services.
Carbon tax is justified as a do-good measure to help save the planet. It's based on highly dubious if not completely bogus premises. At best it's a waste of money.
As for real estate, Vancouver is one of the most expensive on the continent. The city centre is loaded with apartments for people of all income levels. No sign of it becoming a ghost town.
I like the rice analogy. It's just like he says, the whole tax is nothing but duplicity by the government. Progressives are our modern day tyrants.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Johndoe124. Perhaps we are lucky that the government hasn't yet figured out a way to add a fairy dust tax, after all it amounts to the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI can´t agree. It is important to distinguish good and bad taxes. I agree that carbon taxes are not what we need right now. On the other hand, there are important areas of regulation that haven´t been regulated. What comes on my mind is for example real estate. The super expensive apartments in some cities make it impossible for ordinary people, which makes our city centers literally ghost towns. It is important to keep most risky real estate markets regulated. Some kind of tax regulation on unused property could be at least a first step for solution of the problem.
ReplyDeleteGovernments are notorious for making things worse, distorting markets and prices, etc. While some taxation and regulation is undoubtedly needed, it should be kept to the bare minimum necessary to provide basic government services.
ReplyDeleteCarbon tax is justified as a do-good measure to help save the planet. It's based on highly dubious if not completely bogus premises. At best it's a waste of money.
As for real estate, Vancouver is one of the most expensive on the continent. The city centre is loaded with apartments for people of all income levels. No sign of it becoming a ghost town.