When you think of our country, you believe that we are a sustainable nation who is innovative, protecting jobs and the environment, not hurting it by polluting in excess and degrading the natural resources we hold. Well you were wrong. Canada does not put a high enough tax on polluting but rather on income, employment and profits. Shouldn’t they be doing the opposite? Tax polluting which harms the environment and ease off on jobs, innovations and investments will actually stimulate the economy and help protect the environment.

Former Bank of Canada chair Chris Ragan, along with his “A-Team” of partners such as former Reform party leader Preston Manning, former PM Paul Martin and former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, the cross-partisan advisory board includes former B.C. premier Mike Harcourt, tax specialist Jack Mintz, former Alberta finance minister Jim Dinning, Suncor CEO Steve Williams and Dominic Barton, the global managing director of McKinseyand Co. They are sure to get the attention of the government with their superior knowledge of issues and how to deal with them. 

In 2012 Harper axed the old commission, The National Round Table for the Environment and Economy. But because EcoFiscal has been privately funded in its projects, it is no issue to the government.

In my opinion Mr. Reagan has brought up many key issues with Canada’s policies and corporation’s CSR’s. He moves that the government tax heavier on pollution which hurts the economy and the environment and release the high taxes on income and profits. By doing this the economy can begin to grow at a higher rate, while protecting our environment. It makes sense right? To promote what will help our economy and environment rather than something that harms the both of them. As it stands I disagree with PM Harper’s priorities, as he does not take into account the loss in innovations and investments that could have been if not for the high taxes. By taxing corporations on their pollution rates rather than on personal income, people can save a lot more money and inject it back into our economy. By taking away high taxes on investments and innovations, companies will want to invest and innovators will be more motivated to come up with better technology.

To help our economy and environment I am with Chris Reagan and his team, because to me it makes sense to tax that which harms our environment, rather than the building blocks of our economy.

By shifting taxes to high polluters Canada will be increasing its Social and Environmental responsibilities and larger corporations will soon follow as they have more money to invest into those initiatives.

For the time being Canada is a cheap and easy place to produce and pollute, so it seems that our current structure promotes the destruction and degradation of our environment and that surely needs to change. We should be promoting new investors to come in and innovators to create, not to mention support jobs where people can actually make an honest living. By doing this Canada will become a greater nation in terms of economic growth and environmental responsibility.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/ecofiscal-group-seeks-a-way-to-tax-pollution-not-jobs-1.2823634