THE PUBLIC IS REALIZING THAT A CARBON ‘PRICE’ IS JUST A TAX ON ORDINARY CANADIANS.

month. That’s over 60 per cent of the public against paying Ontario’s new carbon levy. This high level of opposition is unexpected only because observers and commentators have wrongly mistaken support for reducing emissions with a willingness to pay for it all.

These are two distinct energy.

Some might think it unreasonable for Canadians to support greenhouse gas reductions without wanting to pay more for home heating, gasoline and the power needed for household appliances. But this puzzle isn’t due to poor or incorrect polling research. Nanos has a solid reputation for accuracy. These polls reveal conflicting public views on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the cost of making it happen.

The blame for this apparent dichotomy rests with politicians that haven’t been candid about what carbon dioxide pricing means for household budgets and the economic wellbeing of commerce and industry. They say it is merely a price, when it is a new and significant tax that makes energy more expensive and, consequently, our economy less competitive.

Voter opposition to politicians who price carbon dioxide emissions is increasing. The public is learning that a tax on emissions is one paid for by ordinary families and businesses. And voter disapproval could strengthen if Canadian jobs are lost or move south as Washington makes it clear the U.S. will not pursue similar policies. Commission recently proposed a de minimis level of zero euros throughout the EU. Even in online marketleader Amazon’s U.S. home, 39 of the 45 states with sales taxes now have regimes in place to collect state and local taxes on interstate shipments, levelling the playing field with local businesses.

Norway, South Africa and the European Union have all put in place straightforward regulatory changes to ensure fairness for taxation of digital goods and services, regardless of the country from which these are purchased. This is about fairness; if you’re selling into a country from outside its borders, the same tax is applied and collected as it is for those businesses based there.

With Budget 2017, the government of Canada has an opportunity to avert revenue losses and support the retail sector — and our economy — at the same time.

As successful precedents in other countries affirm, by rejecting a high de minimis rate and by implementing effective measures for salestax collection on digital goods, both the domestic and foreign online and physical retail marketplaces have an equal opportunity to thrive.