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Winter
2017
Grains
West
20
“The key thing on the carbon tax is
that B.C. farmers support initiatives to
reduce climate change. Our farmers
are impacted by climate change more
than any other group in society. We
have a vested interest in making things
better,” he said.
The BCAC fundamentally disagrees
with the B.C. government’s claim that
the carbon tax is revenue neutral. The
organization claims that the carbon
tax goes into general revenue, and
has been used to lower income tax
and fund some social programs. The
BCAC would like to see a reinvestment
strategy for revenue generated by
the climate tax to support climate
mitigation, adaptation, research and
innovation that will help the industry
adapt to climate change impacts and
reduce emissions.
“A carbon tax is an input tax. Income
tax is paid when you have a successful
year. Input taxes can affect cash flow
and make it more challenging because
if farmers have a bad year, they still have
to pay the tax,” said Ens.
pressUre from feds increAses
UncertAinty
In October 2016, the federal
government raised the stakes for the
provinces to deliver on their greenhouse
gas emission reduction goals by
announcing that a federal carbon price
will be imposed on all provinces that do
not already have a carbon price or cap-
and-trade system in place by 2018.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
announced that carbon pricing should
start at a minimum of $10 per tonne
of carbon dioxide emissions in 2018,
and be increased by $10 each year
to $50 a tonne by 2022. While the
announcement sent a clear message
on federal priorities to the provinces,
it only added to the uncertainty in the
agriculture sector around climate policy.
Levi Wood is president of the Western
Canadian Wheat Growers Association,
and farms in Pense, SK. He said the
federal announcement will be cause for
concern until the specific deadlines are
determined and shared.
LEADING THE CHARGE:
Alberta Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips introducing the Climate Leadership Implementation Act.