What do you think?
Rate this book
The Carbon Tax Question: Clarifying Canada’s Most Consequential Policy Debate
A timely and insightful exploration of the implementation and impact of British Columbia’s carbon tax, delving into the political and economic considerations behind the tax, and addressing misconceptions.
Carbon taxation has become a political, social and economic hot potato in Canada (and beyond) and a major election issue. What is less known is that British Columbia established its own revenue-neutral carbon taxation policy in 2008. The compelling story of how and why has not yet been told. This timely book, written from a Canadian perspective and for a lay audience by climate policy expert Dr. Thomas F. Pedersen, highlights the key players and experts involved in the evolution and implementation of British Columbia’s carbon tax policy, as well as how the BC model compares to other carbon-taxation attempts around the world, including a remarkably convoluted debacle in Australia. Pedersen argues that, despite a common perception of carbon taxes as a horrendous imposition on the Canadian public and business community, BC’s carbon tax policy is in fact a template for the world and a gold standard for public policy to effectively counter climate change.
Encompassing politics, climate action, economics, science and political history, The Carbon Tax Question is a must-read for policymakers, economists, and environmentalists—and all citizens interested in socially-just, equitable solutions to address climate change.
Carbon taxation has become a political, social and economic hot potato in Canada (and beyond) and a major election issue. What is less known is that British Columbia established its own revenue-neutral carbon taxation policy in 2008. The compelling story of how and why has not yet been told. This timely book, written from a Canadian perspective and for a lay audience by climate policy expert Dr. Thomas F. Pedersen, highlights the key players and experts involved in the evolution and implementation of British Columbia’s carbon tax policy, as well as how the BC model compares to other carbon-taxation attempts around the world, including a remarkably convoluted debacle in Australia. Pedersen argues that, despite a common perception of carbon taxes as a horrendous imposition on the Canadian public and business community, BC’s carbon tax policy is in fact a template for the world and a gold standard for public policy to effectively counter climate change.
Encompassing politics, climate action, economics, science and political history, The Carbon Tax Question is a must-read for policymakers, economists, and environmentalists—and all citizens interested in socially-just, equitable solutions to address climate change.
- GenresPolitics
256 pages, Paperback
Published April 15, 2025
3 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 1, 2025
I appreciated the in-depth description and history of the carbon tax, and agree that it ultimately failed because of bad PR - I couldn't tell you how much of a rebate I ever got for the carbon tax, but I sure saw high gas prices at the pump. I would have liked more on that side of things though, the "axe the tax" crew did a great job of PR and framed the tax as really not revenue-neutral, I could have used more digging into debunking those myths.
February 11, 2025
I thought this was well-researched but I wish Pedersen could've taken a more objective approach instead of positioning the carbon tax as merely a liberal vs. conservative issue. Otherwise a very interesting topic about a very timely topic.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews