Farm-based ghg are tax exempt

Dear Editor:

Both letter writer John Thompson and columnist Sylvias Charlebois (the socalled Food Professor) seem to be misinformed regarding the impact of the carbon tax on agriculture. Somewhere between 93% and 97% of “on-farm” greenhouse gas emissions are exempt from carbon taxes.

The largest sources of farm-based ghg emissions, enteric fermentation (animal manure, belching and flatulence), fertilizers and vehicle fuels are all carbon tax exempt.

In B.C., fuel use for heating greenhouses is carbon tax exempt. In the rest of Canada, 80% of the carbon tax for heating greenhouses is carbon tax exempt. Grain drying is eligible for federal grants to switch technologies to less carbon intensive methods.

There are other costs to get our food from the farm to table that do collect carbon tax, such as transportation. The Bank of Canada has estimated that the impact of the carbon tax on inflation is 0.15%. A quick calculation shows that the carbon tax on trucking agricultural goods to the Okanagan costs has an impact of less than $0.02/kg.

Measurable, yes. Significant? No. I actually agree with John Thompson regarding abolishing “supply management”.

Dairy, poultry and eggs would all be cheaper without controlling supply. Devise another way to support farmers.

As a last point, the “Food Professor” lauded B.C.’s per capita reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, until he found out the decline was driven by carbon taxes. He had erroneously thought B.C. used cap and trade carbon pricing.

David Flater Okanagan Falls