B.C. residents split on future of provincial carbon tax: poll

More than three in five British Columbians said the provincial carbon tax has negatively affected their finances, according to a recent poll done by Research Co.

The poll asked 800 B.C. adult residents questions regarding the B.C. provincial carbon tax, which was implemented by Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals in July 2008.

B.C. residents are split when it comes to what should happen to the provincial tax if the Conservative Party of Canada wins the 2025 Canadian federal election and scraps the federal carbon tax.

According to the poll, 43 per cent of British Columbians think the provincial carbon tax should be snipped if the federal version is abolished, while 40 per cent said they would prefer the province to keep it. The remaining 17 per cent said they are “not sure.”

Support for keeping the provincial carbon tax is highest among British Columbians aged 18 to 34 (54 per cent), but drops among those aged 35 to 54 (44 per cent) and those aged 55 and over (36 per cent).

“The notion of the British Columbia carbon tax causing financial strife is more prevalent in Northern B.C. (65 per cent), Metro Vancouver (64 per cent) and the Fraser Valley (64 per cent),” said Mario Canseco, Research Co.’s president.

“The proportions are slightly lower in Southern B.C. (56 per cent) and Vancouver Island (56 per cent).”

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While 43 per cent said they want the provincial carbon tax to go, more than two in three said they are worried about four environmental problems: global warming and climate change (71 per cent), the pollution of rivers, lakes and reservoirs (70 per cent), and air pollution (66 per cent).

The carbon tax is a  part of the B.C.’s CleanBC plan. The current carbon tax rate is $65 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) and is applied to the purchase and use of most fossil fuels in the province.

The rate increased to $65 per tonne on April 1, 2023.