–Carbon tax kicks 400 school kids off buses–
Carbon taxes make everything more expensive, which leads to devastating consequences for working households. In Canada, the carbon tax has already forced one school district to cancel bus service for 400 kids.
As reported by the Calgary Herald, the carbon tax cost the school district $3.3 million last year:
A public school trustee is asking if the province would consider exempting school boards from the carbon tax after administrators revealed this week that the Calgary Board of Education paid about $3.3 million last year for the levy and has been forced to take buses off the roads.
A recent audit detailed the burden of the carbon tax on school fuel costs, school heating costs, and school electrical costs:
Breton, in response to questions from Davis about the CBE’s audited financial statements from 2017-18, estimated the CBE pays about $300,000 in a given school year for the carbon tax on transportation fuel, including school buses, about $1.4 million a year for natural gas to heat CBE buildings and a rough estimate of about $1.5 million for electricity, totalling up to about $3.3 million a year.
400 students were kicked off buses, creating a difficult situation for families. As noted by the Herald:
As a result, fewer buses have meant fewer stops, longer commutes and more difficult schedules for families. Many students have also been transferred to public transit.
“Busing has been such a challenge for families, adjusting to schedules. It’s a bit challenging that we’re in a situation where we’ve had to remove almost 400 students from buses in order to pay for the carbon tax in addition to the other impacts on the organization.
“When I look at this deficit we have of $13 million, that $3 million a year on power and gas is almost 25 per cent of our deficit — that is a very big number that has a big impact.
“For me, personally, it’s troubling that has had such a big impact.”
This situation is yet another warning to U.S. lawmakers considering a carbon tax.
Related: Timeline shows carbon taxes are consistently rejected by voters