Carbon taxes on businesses still make life more expensive, Canadians say
44% of Canadians believe businesses pass on all of the carbon tax costs to the consumer
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OTTAWA — As Canadians struggle with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, new polling suggests many agree carbon taxes just aren’t worth the cost.
Conducted by Leger on behalf of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), the poll suggests 44% of Canadians believe businesses pay little of the industrial carbon tax, and instead pass on all of the costs to the consumer — negating what little impact they may have in reducing emissions.
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“The poll shows Canadians understand that a carbon tax on business is a carbon tax on Canadians that makes life more expensive,” the CTF’s Franco Terrazzano said.
“Only 9% of Canadians believe Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s claim that businesses will pay most of the cost of his carbon tax.”
That number’s down just one percentage point from previous polling on the issue conducted in January.
Carney’s first act upon being named prime minister was eliminating the consumer carbon tax — a move that provided some relief, especially at the gas pumps, but that left it in place for industrial emitters such as oil and gas producers, and steelmaking.
Only a quarter of respondents believe that businesses pass just a portion of carbon taxes on to the consumer, one point down from January, while only 9% believe businesses voluntarily shoulder all of the cost — down from 12% in previous polling.
“A carbon tax on business will push our entrepreneurs to cut production in Canada and increase production south of the border and that means higher prices and fewer jobs for Canadians,” Terrazzano said.
The polling was conducted between April 4 and 7 of 1,631 voting-age Canadians via Leger’s online panel.
As margins of error cannot be applied to online panels, an equivalent sample size would result in an MOE of ±3%, 19 times out of 20.
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