Albertans unaware of carbon tax, poll shows
One of the Redford government’s key selling points as it touts Alberta’s environmental record internationally is barely known to its own residents, according to a new poll.
A ThinkHQ Public Affairs survey conducted between April 16 and 20 shows only 31 per cent of Albertans are aware of the province’s $15-per-tonne levy on large carbon emitters.
ThinkHQ president Marc Henry said there is good news for the Progressive Conservative government, however, as it contemplates a possible hike to the fee.
When Albertans are made aware of the carbon levy, they like it. Nearly three-quarters of poll respondents support the fee, with 32 per cent saying they “strongly approve” of the levy.
“It seems to be floating around, this notion that there’s more coming when it comes to carbon tax. Based on the public reaction to the one that is already there, there would seemingly be an appetite for that among the public,” said Henry.
The province’s fee of $15 per tonne for emitters who fail to reduce their emissions intensity by 12 per cent below baseline levels has been a major talking point as Premier Alison Redford highlights Alberta’s environmental record to win support for the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The government has put forward the idea of a $40-a-tonne levy based on reducing emissions intensity by 40 per cent, although it is not a formal proposal.
The Think HQ poll was an independent online survey of 1,186 randomly selected Albertans who are members of the Voice Alberta Research Panel.
The margin of error is reported at plus or minus 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.