Re: , Toronto

The new carbon tax is inherently unfair. It penalizes efficient energy users the same as heavy energy users. When you use energy efficiently, increasing the price does not make your usage more efficient.

There is a more equitable and effective way to tax energy usage. Look at what Santa Fe, NM, did during its severe water crisis. It left water rates the same for what it considered a responsible amount of water usage and charged four times the rate for any usage above that amount. It resulted in an immediate 30-per-cent reduction in water usage. A spectacular result.

Like income taxes, carbon taxes must be progressive, because it is fairer. I understand why the government implemented a flat carbon tax. Creating a tiered structure is far more work and politically dangerous. The people that are most affected are people with large homes and big cars. In other words those who provide the political parties with the majority of their donations.

Michael Yaffe, Toronto

I read with interest Rob Ferguson’s article that began, “Ontario residents will notice more money in one pocket and less in another as electricity tax rebates and new carbon fees for natural gas and gasoline take effect in 2017.”

So typical of the Liberal brand over these past 10 to 15 years: Give a little into the left pocket while taking a lot out of the right pocket.

The cost of electricity has doubled under the Liberal’s watch. Yet, reliability has stagnated (if not gotten worse).

The price of gasoline no longer is tied to the price of a barrel of oil, which means it is going up not due to crude prices but due to government mismanagement of resources.

Not to fight climate change (which Ontario is totally impotent to alter) but to pad government “resource tools” and fulfil a promise of finally balancing a budget before the next election.

J. Brunins, Britt, Ont.

Unfortunately the small hydro rebates Premier Kathleen Wynne is doling out, as she finds herself at 13 per cent in the polls largely because her green energy program has made electricity in Ontario the highest-priced in North America, pales in comparison to what Ontarians will be shelling out due to her new “revenue tool:” the job- and economy-hurting carbon tax.

From driving to work to earn money to pay more in taxes, to heating homes, to buying food that has to be transported, Ontarians are going to be paying much more for everything.

There seems no limit to how far Wynne will go pushing her green ideology, no matter the harm it does.

Larry Comeau, Ottawa

“Ontario businesses are already losing jobs to neighbouring jurisdictions, and we’ve seen a lot of capital and job flight to jurisdictions in neighbouring areas,” said Nathan MacDonald, policy and communications manager for the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.

Please give details as to who’s leaving and where they’ve gone?

Environment Minister Glen Murray said the province’s Climate Change Action Plan has broad support from business and “will reduce greenhouse gas pollution at the lowest possible cost to families and businesses.”

Again, please give details as to what businesses are supporting the Climate Change Action Plan?

Leo Ryan, Barrie, Ont.

I recently invested in a gas stove in order to escape from the atrocious cost of hydro inflicted upon us by the premier of Ontario. Little did I know that the cost of natural gas was to increase, thus negating my decision to make this purchase.

Welcome to Kathleen Wynne’s cap and trade fiasco.

Am I to believe that my contribution will force me to use less gas to keep warm? Or is this increased price simply a tax to enrich the coffers at Queen’s Park? I am unlikely to freeze myself, so it must simply be another tax grab.

That is not what the people of Ontario need at this time and it is likely the main reason for the loss of manufacturing jobs, with more to come.

This is not a good time to be a consumer in Ontario and it is unfortunate that we have to wait more than a year to get rid of these people who have not served us well.

Al Truscott, Collingwood, Ont.

A swing and a miss on climate for Patrick Brown, Paul Wells, Jan. 4

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By persistently describing cap-and-trade as “not very much” added to a household, the Star has failed to remind readers that the largest and least-efficient industries are exempted, so cap-and-trade is a licence to continue polluting.

Those industries that participate in buying and selling credits can keep the profits or off-load the costs of buying credits.

But most importantly, cap-and-trade is taxing home heating oil, diesel and aviation fuel. Natural gas as energy or feedstock for hundreds of consumer products is taxed. Every raw material transported to a manufacturer is taxed, and taxed again when finished goods are delivered.

Every one of the $8 billion will come from consumer discretionary spending at a cost to the economy. And then, given their pathetic history in spending, what will the Liberals do with the money?

Curious that Wells accuses Brown of blowing and sucking at the same time. Maybe with what Wynne’s sucking out of the economy, she can give us all an electric car we can drive when the wind blows.

Mike McLean, Oakville

Paul Wells is both right and wrong with respect to Patrick Brown’s position on carbon pricing.

Wells is correct that Brown is trying to suck and blow on carbon taxes. While he opposes the Wynne government’s cap and trade, he is silly enough to advocate for a “revenue-neutral” carbon tax for Ontario taxpayers. If Brown is planning to rebate most or all of the carbon tax to taxpayers, why bother imposing it?

In addition, unless he is also planning to rebate the cost of carbon taxes to Ontario business, then we will see a mass shift of investment dollars away from Ontario to Trump’s low-corporate-tax, no-carbon-tax business environment south of the border.

Wells is also right in saying that Brown has lost a large section of the Tory base by supporting a carbon tax, but wrong in thinking that a large portion of those voters will return to the PC fold.

As a longtime supporter of the provincial Tories, I have cancelled my party membership and will now vote, and work for, the Ontario Libertarian Party in the next provincial election.

The Libertarian Party is the only Ontario political party that is calling for the repeal of any carbon-pricing scheme. If Brown continues to support a price on carbon, he may very well be kissing goodbye to any chance of forming government.

Curt Shalapata, Oshawa

Don Mustill in his Jan. 2 letter tells us that trying to go green is ideological and will cost us money. What he is really saying is this generation caused the problem but is unwilling to pay more now for a better future for our kids.

I can guarantee you global warming will cost us trillions and our kids and grandkids will pay. People in poor countries will be paying with their lives.

Windmills will get better, cap-and-trade has proven to help but the point of having gas cost more is to make you drive less or get a smaller car/house. Given that most of you live nowhere near where you work, drive a fuel-inefficient car, have built such big houses that technological advances in energy efficiency are offset by size, buy bottled water when it is free out of your tap, etc.

No, Mr. Mustill, our own stupidity and selfishness has made your wallet smaller.

Scotty Robinson, Toronto

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