VANCOUVER, B.C.:  British Columbia’s carbon dioxide emissions continue to go up year over year, even though British Columbians pay the highest carbon tax in Canada.

“Politicians tell us that we are forking over our money in a carbon tax to reduce CO2 emissions, however, that’s not what’s happening, all this is doing is taking a bigger bite of our paycheques,” said Kris Sims, B.C. Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “The carbon tax costs everyday people a lot of money, and it’s not reducing CO2 emissions, so why are we doing this?”

In documents posted on the NDP-Green government’s website, data shows that for the second year in a row, CO2 emissions have gone up. CO2 emissions went up from 61.3 million tonnes in 2015 to 62.3 million tonnes in 2016 (the most recent year available). That’s an increase of 1.5 per cent and levels have increased in five of the last six years.

Last year, the Sierra Club pointed out that CO2 emissions are increasing and called B.C.’s highest carbon tax in Canada a “token effort.”

At $35 per tonne, B.C. has the highest carbon tax in Canada and it’s set to be jacked up to $40 per tonne this year. When the carbon tax was first introduced in B.C. in 2008, politicians promised the tax hikes would stop at $30 per tonne and it would always be “revenue neutral.”

The data in B.C. also shows that emissions from light duty gasoline vehicles - small trucks, SUVs and sedans – are rising steadily with a 10.3 per cent increase over the last three years.

“B.C. is a sad example showing that a Canadian carbon tax doesn’t work the way politicians tell us it will: it doesn’t reduce CO2 emissions, it doesn’t create a ‘social license’ for our natural resources, and it costs regular people a lot of money just to live their lives,” said Sims. “People need to get to work, they need to get their kids to school and they need food from the grocery store – these aren’t frivolous luxuries that they can cut back on even when they’re punished with a carbon tax.”

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Kris Sims, BC Director

Mobile & text message: 1-604-997-1798

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @kris_sims

The CTF is Canada's leading non-partisan citizens' advocacy group fighting for lower taxes, less waste and accountable government. Founded in 1990, the CTF has more than 136,000 supporters and seven offices across Canada. The CTF is funded by free-will, non tax-receiptable contributions.