A Clean Air Tax - Thanks Alberta

 

Keeping a promise made a number of months ago, Alberta appears ready to bring in a new tax, this time on EV owners.  The tax reportedly will be $200 a year, charged only to owners of full BEVs (battery electric vehicles).

The St Albert Gazette published a story about this upcoming tax here.

The government claims that the tax is to make up for the fuel tax that EVs don't pay plus the damage caused to roads because EVs are supposedly so heavy.

Two things:

• Where in Canada do you pay a consumption tax on something your don't consume?
• EVs, although heavy, are not always the heaviest vehicles on the road.  Let's consider large pickup trucks and large SUVs, many of which weigh more than at least some EVs.

Claims have been made about fairness, that EVs don't pay the fuel tax (which doesn't go directly to road maintenance anyway) but continue to use the roads.

If fairness is the real concern, I have a suggestion, as mentioned in the article above.  Have part of  every vehicle registration fee based on the curb weight of the vehicle.  Not just EVs.  ALL vehicles, including the oversized pickup trucks commonly seen in Alberta (and elsewhere).

It's also worth pointing out an odd bit of hypocrisy here, coming from the Alberta Government, of all places.  The federal Carbon Tax (basically a tax on pollution) has been the target of animosity from Conservatives, especially from Alberta.  I've heard terms like "tax grab", "useless" and such.  With this EV registration tax, the Alberta Government is taxing vehicles that do not give harmful pollutants.  It's a "clean air tax".  A tax grab for NOT using something.

Well done Alberta.  Once again, you've made your disregard for fairness, pollution and environmental damage stunningly clear.  Once again, you've made it quite clear that you don't want to engage in any kind of energy transition which would be quite consistent with your nutty beliefs that climate change driven by fossil fuel use isn't actually a problem.

What's next, Alberta?  Will people with heat pumps be charged a special tax because they're NOT using natural gas (aka: fossil gas)?  Will people who don't drink alcohol be charged a special tax because they're NOT buying beer and therefore not contributing to government coffers through special liquor taxes?

As I say, well done, Alberta.