Renters with oil furnaces get little help from carbon tax

In today's Vancouver Sun editorial page, letter writer R.S.Chant says condo owners who rent out suites avoid spending money on them. Landlords are willing to do only "absolutely necessary" improvements, he says.

If that is so--and it make sense in terms of landlords maximizing their profits--tenants would often be stuck in outdated housing. This also means the carbon tax and the $100 cheques Premier Campbell has bestowed upon the populace will do little to help a large number of renters reduce their use of fossil fuel. Many will continue to pay for oil heating that goes up and up and up in cost. For why would a landlord get rid of an inefficient oil furnace when the renter pays to fill it?

Campbell and his supporters could say low-income people will have cuts to their income tax, which would make up for the increased tax on oil. However, far from all renters are poor. And many, especially outside of the Vancouver area, rent oil-heated houses rather than condos. A great many are middle class people who have balked at the high cost of home ownership, are waiting to meet that special someone to share an investment in a home, have split with that someone, are new to the province, are old to the province, or are almost any kind of person. Just because they've got a somewhat adequate income doesn't mean they should be unjustly taxed.

But I'm not knocking the carbon tax. It will help cut the use of fossil fuels in many cases, and the earth knows we need to use less fossil fuels. But the tax should be coupled with specific laws that impel businesses to reduce their carbon output--especially when when their use is fueled by greed--especially when they are landlords.