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I
n 2008, the B.C. govern-
ment implemented the
rst broad-based carbon
tax in North America, initially
set at $10 per•tonne•of carbon
dioxide•equivalent•emissions.
As of this•April 1, B.C.'s carbon
tax rate is $40 per•tonne, and
it's set to be capped at $50
per•tonne•by 2021.•
Although a carbon tax may
not be a popular idea in many
places, a poll conducted for•
BCBusiness•by•Mustel Group
in•May found that•49 percent•of
the 300 B.C. residents and 48
percent of the 300 business
owners•surveyed•support
the•province's•carbon tax.
•Overall, approval•of•the tax
doesn't diˆer signicantly from
region to region, says Mustel
general manager Josh O'Neill,
though people on Vancouver
Island and the Sunshine Coast
are somewhat more•in•favour
of it than those in the Interior
(58 percent versus 39 percent).•
•There are also no notable
diˆerences between busi-
ness owners and residents
on whether the government
should use regulation as well
as taxation to discourage
carbon use: 74 percent of the
former and 70 percent of the
latter oppose this strate•y. On
the other hand, O'Neill notes,
"there appears to be•some•
generational disparity on this
issue, with younger resi-
dents•favouring•more aggres-
sive measures to reduce carbon
emissions."
Poll Positions
(
feedback
)
JULY/AUGUST 2019 BCBUSINESS 13
As a B.C.
resident, do
you support
or oppose the
current
carbon tax?
Very
positive
impact
Somewhat
positive
impact
Somewhat
negative
impact
Very
negative
impact
No real
impact
Don't
know
Do you think the
B.C. government is
being too aggres-
sive, not aggressive
enough or taking
the right steps to
offset carbon
emissions
produced by the
province's citizens
and industries?
As a business owner, to what
extent, if at all, has the B.C.
carbon tax impacted your
bottom line?
3.3%
5%
12.7%
33%
2.7%
43.3%
SUPPORT:
48.8%
DON'T
KNOW:
15.8%
OPPOSE:
35.4%
18-34:
38.1%
35-54:
33.0%
55+:
28.9%
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