The Green Budget Coalition today commended progress this week towards implementing carbon taxes in Canada.
"A carbon tax, or similar broad-based fiscal policy instrument, is one of the most efficient, proven opportunities for Canada to tackle climate change," said Julie Gelfand, Coalition Chair. "We congratulate the Government of Quebec for its announcement yesterday of a provincial carbon tax."
"A well-designed federal carbon tax would stimulate a thriving, climate-friendly Canadian economy, by integrating environmental costs into market prices, and would generate increased revenues which could be used to reduce existing taxes, increase deployment of low-emission technologies, and alleviate regional concerns."
"Furthermore, a carbon tax would also reduce the emissions that cause smog and related illnesses."
Carbon taxes have broad support, inside and outside government, as a prime option to reduce Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. The OECD, the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, and most recently, Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs, have all emphasized the importance of Canada using such economic instruments to achieve environmental policy goals. The United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom have all implemented versions of a carbon tax.
The Green Budget Coalition strongly believes that Canada's future prosperity depends on such forward-looking policies that integrate social and environmental costs into market prices. Taxes should be gradually increased on activities that damage society, such as pollution and waste, and reduced on activities that benefit society, such as employment, savings, and non-polluting economic activity.
The Green Budget Coalition comprises 21 of Canada's national environmental and conservation groups and their 500,000 members, supporters and volunteers.
The Green Budget Coalition's members include Bird Studies Canada, Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, Canadian Environmental Law Association, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Centre for Integral Economics, David Suzuki Foundation, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Environmental Defence, Équiterre, Friends of the Earth Canada, Greenpeace Canada, International Institute for Sustainable Development, MiningWatch Canada, Nature Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Pembina Institute, Pollution Probe, Sierra Club of Canada, Sierra Legal Defence Fund, Social Investment Organization, and World Wildlife Fund Canada.
For more information, please contact:
Amy Taylor, Director of Ecological Fiscal Reform, Pembina Institute, 403-678-3355, amyt@pembina.org.
Andrew Van Iterson, Program Manager, Green Budget Coalition, 613-562-3447 ext. 243; avaniterson@naturecanada.ca.