Howdy Mister Trudeau.
I walk and coffee in Moose Jaw with old friends – and I mean OLD. Some told me that even though Saskatchewan ain’t gonna have a Carbon Tax the Saskatchewan Government is going to collect one anyway and then hold the money for all of us.
That’s pretty good of them. My Mom did that for me when I worked harvest for the neighbour. My experiences with governments is they ain’t like my Mom. They don’t give your money back.
I don’t like the Carbon Tax. I don’t farm no more so that ain’t a problem. I’m not against saving the planet. I am for tax equality for all Canadians. The Carbon Tax ain’t an equal tax. Some of us have to pay more.
Since I moved into town I heat the house with natural gas. Natural Gas is lots better than the old wood stove or the old oil heater. That oil heater – whew – it made everyone smell like they’d been driving a diesel tractor all day. Not sure Mr. Trudeau if you know what that smell is because you’re a city guy. Maybe Ralph does – but then, I’m not sure. He’s city too.
Here’s the equal or equality part I’m talking about. I hate taxes but peoples should pay the same rate. Like the Mulroney GST – another brilliant idea from a Quebec politician – everyone pays the same GST rate. You could live in Corner Brook or Comox. The GST rate is the same.
Same with Federal Income Tax. Everyone pays the same rate based on their income.
This ain’t the case with the Carbon Tax. I gotta pay it on the Natural Gas I use to heat the house. Now the rate is the same for everyone but I live in Saskatchewan. Winter here is really cold. I use a lot of natural gas just to keep me, the cat and the Misses from freezing to the floor.
You grew up on the West Coast. Them folks don’t use nearly as much natural gas for heating as us in Saskatchewan. So they will pay less in accumulated carbon taxes on their heating bill. That ain’t fair or equal or equitable.
Think about Robin Hood and King John. Old King John wanted people in one part of Sherwood Forest to pay more taxes than folks in another part of the forest. I don’t know why – maybe they had better turnips. The thing is, his taxes weren’t fair and people got upset. In comes the Sherriff and Robin Hood – well, you gets the picture. King John had to sign a sheet of paper saying everyone would be treated equal.
So in the winter, me, my seniors’ friends at YARA and even Ralph Goodale over near Regina, all gotta pay higher taxes in our part of the forest – Saskatchewan, than them people in Comox.
Paul Romer’s idea of a carbon tax is stupid. Pollution is terrible. True! Look at Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver – all them big cities – because of vehicle exhaust. Deal with that and let me stay warm through another Saskatchewan winter at a fair and equitable rate.
Lucid ‘Lu’ Knight, Fern Valley, via the Mossbank Post Office, Saskatchewan
