{news} Canadain GP would cut income tax,impose carbon tax

[Green Party-CT]

Green party would cut income taxes, impose carbon tax         Wed Sep 27, 6:10 PM 
  

  By Dennis Bueckert
  
  OTTAWA (CP) - The Green party says it would cut personal income and payroll taxes and create a carbon tax to discourage the use of fossil fuels. 
  
  The party's so-called green plan would also end tax subsidies for the oil sands, which it says would save the public about $1.3 billion a year. 
  
  Leader Elizabeth May says the plan would allow Canada to meet its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. 
  
  May blasted the claim by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the emissions-cutting goals in the climate treaty are unachievable. 
  
  "The key foundation, the cornerstone of any real green plan, is meeting our Kyoto targets," she told a news conference. 
  
  The plan would use the tax system to reduce greenhouse emissions - introducing a carbon tax to discourage the use of toxic fuels while cutting taxes for alternative energies and fuel-efficient vehicles. 
  
  "The reality is that more than the total of all the programs cut this week by the Harper government could have been saved by cutting the subsidies to oil and gas." 
  
  She rejected the notion that a carbon tax is not politically saleable. 
  
  "Most politicians are afraid to even begin to explain the idea of tax-shifting and I think that's premised on their idea that the Canadian public is not very bright," she said. 
  
  "We believe you can explain to people: don't you think we should tax the things we don't want, like toxic chemicals that cause smog and cancer, and greenhouse gases, and reduce taxes on things we say we do want, like employment and income?" 
  
  The plan would rely mainly on pollution control within Canada, but would include some credits earned by subsidizing emissions-cutting projects in developing countries, as allowed under the Kyoto treaty. 
  
  Other elements of the plan: 
  
  -Auto emissions would be regulated and a "feebate" program for new cars would be introduced, providing rebates for fuel-efficient cars and extra fees for gas guzzlers. 
  
  - The EnerGuide program cut by the Conservatives would be reinstated. The program provides subsidies for home-owners who retrofit their houses more energy efficient. 
  
  -Regulations on pollutants that cause smog would be tightened. 
  
  -Legislation would be introduced to ban bulk water exports. 
  
  -The national park system would be completed. 
  -Environmental research would be boosted. 
  
  


  
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