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Carbon tax poll (part 2)
During the past decade there has been considerable debate in Canada over carbon taxes. While some provinces have implemented their own carbon taxes, legislation passed by the current federal government required each province to implement a carbon tax of at least $20 per tonne by April, 2019. Under the federal government’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, the national carbon tax will rise annually until reaching $50 per tonne by 2022.
SecondStreet.org hired Nanos Research to conduct some public opinion research on carbon taxes in general. Previously we released information on how Canadians think carbon taxes affect businesses. Our second policy brief examines Canadians’ feelings about paying carbon taxes and their personal willingness to pay.
Key highlights from the Nanos Research survey can be summarized as follows:
A majority of Canadians support the concept of carbon taxes (57.3%) but Canadians are much less enthusiastic about paying them; the median amount respondents are willing to pay is just $100 per year.
Canadians are roughly split between utilizing carbon taxes to reduce emissions (48.3%) versus pursuing alternative policy options (44.2%). A further 5.0% believe the government shouldn’t worry about climate change.
To view the policy brief – click here
