Taking a closer look at the carbon tax facts

Having read Mr. Badcocks' letter on April 3, 2024, I felt it needed some clarification. To quote his own words, "the entire concept is flawed."

First of all, he says gas is increasing by 3.5 per cent, not 3.5 cents per litre, which is what I assume he meant. That is actually how much it increased in Alberta, not Newfoundland.

The tax actually went up 25 per cent, from $65 to $80 per tonne. The Fedral Carbon Tax now costs us 17.6 cents per litre of gas (even more for diesel), about 10 per cent of our Newfoundland price.

Does this mean that all of our purchases are going up by 25 or 10 or 3.5 per cent? Of course not! Fuel only takes up a small portion of the overall cost of goods. For groceries, you have the farmers' costs, seed, land, farm equipment, wages, fertilizer, pesticides, etc. Transportation is only a fraction of the final cost, and fuel is only a part of the transportation cost.

So don't worry, food is not going to increase 3.5 per cent, as per Mr. Babcocks' flawed dire prediction. Your $16,000 annual grocery bill will go up $24 due to the carbon tax not the $560 predicted.

Personally, I think that is a small price to pay to help our children's future. Greed from the large grocery chains will cost you way more than any tax.

Check out a program called "About That" with Andrew Chang (CBC Gem on Youtube) that explains the fedral carbon tax in detail. It indicates that the carbon tax will increase inflation by 0.15 per cent. The rebate is jumping to $1,072 per couple this year, so my wife and I will actually get more back than we will spend.

The only place you are going to see a noticable difference is at the gas station. That is where we should be paying attention, limit your trips, invest in fuel efficient vehicles and "slow the flow."

Do it for the kids, do it for the future.

The only place you are going to see a noticable difference is at the gas station. That is where we should be paying attention, limit your trips, invest in fuel efficient vehicles and “slow the flow.”

Terry Stead Musgravetown