tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post381401441194108527..comments2024-03-22T05:20:44.167-07:00Comments on The Disaffected Lib: Carbon Taxes to Level Playing FieldThe Mound of Soundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-86917056032934113372008-03-28T16:41:00.000-07:002008-03-28T16:41:00.000-07:00I once sat in on a speech by Liberal Environment c...I once sat in on a speech by Liberal Environment critic, David McGuinty, and he described a "carbon saving plan" as an alternative to a Carbon tax. The way he explained it was that rather than pay a tax that the government could spend as they please, the government would collet a certain amount of money based on the emissions produced. This money would go into an account, from which the company could withdraw the funds in order to invest in reducing their emissions (naturally the government would have to regulate standards). If, after a period of five years, the companies had not withdrawn their money from these accounts, the federal government would get the money and invest it toward green technologies. <BR/><BR/>Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me.<BR/><BR/>Also, Mound, I finally got around to writing that post on my blog about whether or not there is sufficient evidence to obtain a conviction if ever Harper were charged for his role in the Cadman affair. I'd appreciate it if I could get a second opinion from someone with a legal background. (Warning, it's a long post!)Fishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02726265917958181039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-1723410640803872892008-03-28T14:31:00.000-07:002008-03-28T14:31:00.000-07:00Hi Rabbit: I don't think it'll be easy to work ou...Hi Rabbit: I don't think it'll be easy to work out a system of tariffs but I don't think that it will be too difficult either. We would have to await a study on the tariff options to find one that would work for both imports and domestic production.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-63517242270163010682008-03-28T13:19:00.000-07:002008-03-28T13:19:00.000-07:00Yer right, Rabbit, it would be tough. In the UK, t...Yer right, Rabbit, it would be tough. In the UK, they are starting to <A HREF="http://www.in-pharmatechnologist.com/news/ng.asp?id=77081-defra-the-carbon-trust-greenhouse-gas-labelling-carbon-footprint" REL="nofollow">label food items with carbon footprint rating</A> logos. They're apparently able to determine this figure on, so far, a small number of products.<BR/><BR/>The idea is not without some unintended consequences, too. <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6383687.stm" REL="nofollow">Kenyan farmers</A> who export to the EU and UK are worried that, although they themselves use environmentally friendly methods, the transportation of their products to Europe boosts the carbon footprint and threatens their livelihood.<BR/><BR/>We already have international standards and quality control mechanisms like ISO 9000. These mechanisms ensure that we don't simply take a manufacturer's word for it that they've produced their product according to specifications. Every supplier to the automotive industry is already required to be ISO compliant. Environmental components are already being added to ISO 9001 compliance requirements.<BR/><BR/>JBJimBobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04603665575714484326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-12087449819002607102008-03-28T12:53:00.000-07:002008-03-28T12:53:00.000-07:00Determining the carbon footprint of every item tha...Determining the carbon footprint of every item that crosses our border sounds like an extraordinarily difficult job.<BR/><BR/>Who's to know if the electricity to make each item's sundry components was generated through coal plants, hydro-electric dams, or solar panels? It's not like you can take the thing apart and measure this.<BR/><BR/>We would have little choice but take the importers word for the carbon footprint of each item, hardly a practical situation.rabbithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12371229772899723851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-87799247918523043792008-03-28T11:43:00.000-07:002008-03-28T11:43:00.000-07:00Good points, JB. People really need to think this...Good points, JB. People really need to think this one through. Tariffs were sold as utterly bad during the Reagan/Mulroney free trade campaign that led to NAFTA.<BR/><BR/> Tariff relief is a cornerstone of globalization which seeks to move capital and means of production to the developing world without sacrificing essential access to affluent, Western markets. To achieve this the free-traders had to equate tariffs in the public's mind as protectionist shackles on productivity and nothing more.<BR/><BR/>The social and political utility of tariffs went unmentioned and yet, now, that's coming back into the debate and it's long overdue.The Mound of Soundhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09023839743772372922noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-47576731124397137792008-03-28T11:32:00.000-07:002008-03-28T11:32:00.000-07:00Whooee! Although Dion made some noises last week a...Whooee! Although Dion made some noises last week about a "price for carbon," only one federal political party has openly advocated a carbon tax: the Greens.<BR/><BR/>Even CEO's of multinational corporations have come out in favour of taxing emissions; yet, our lameass wimpy LPC, CPC and NDP politicians are too scared to try to explain to Canadians why we need such an instrument.<BR/><BR/>The Green policy is to shift taxation away from income and on to emissions. "Tax what you burn - not what you earn."<BR/><BR/>It's great to see mainstream financial institutions and business leaders starting to come around to Green Party ideas.<BR/><BR/>Harper and his allies have done everything in their power to further the notion that cleaning up our environment will bankrupt our economy. The opposite is actually true. Failing to clean up will be far more costly. Failure to be early adopters ensures that Canada will be left in the dust by more forward-thinking nations.<BR/><BR/>JB<BR/>(reposted due to dumbass typo)JimBobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04603665575714484326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32931256.post-10284568508448154512008-03-28T11:30:00.000-07:002008-03-28T11:30:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.JimBobbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04603665575714484326noreply@blogger.com