A new TikTok video is going viral for debunking common misconceptions about carbon taxes.
The video, posted by user The Goose (@the_goose_media), tackles claims like "the carbon tax is stupid" and "the carbon tax is making life unaffordable."
@the_goose_media Is the carbon tax stupid? #canada #canadian #climatechange #climate #tax #debate #liberal #conservative #ndp ♬ original sound - The Goose
In the nearly two-minute explainer video, The Goose breaks down the purpose and impact of carbon taxes in Canada.
"The carbon tax is just one policy lever of many designed to address a global crisis that will negatively affect humanity for thousands of years," he states.
He explains that carbon taxes are a market-based solution previously championed by conservative economists like Milton Friedman in the 1980s to address the "market failure" of pollution.
While carbon taxes do raise prices at the pump by a fixed amount, Goose points out that most Canadians receive money back through rebates.
"It's an incentive," he says, adding that recent gas price spikes are more due to volatile global energy markets, which is why oil companies are seeing record profits.
The video argues that if countries like Goose's native Canada lower their dependence on dirty fuels that generate heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide, consumers will be more insulated from high gas prices long term. Goose also highlights how jobs in the green economy are growing, even as oil and gas jobs decline due to factors like automation.
The Goose also counters the claim that carbon taxes drive inflation, noting that the U.S. is seeing similar inflation without a carbon tax. He cites data showing about 80% of Canadians, particularly lower- and middle-income earners, get more back from the carbon tax than they pay.
The video makes a compelling case that carbon taxes, while not a complete climate solution, are a key tool to incentivize the transition to cleaner energy — changes that benefit our planet and our pocketbooks.
"I say this to every business that doesn't want to pay the carbon tax," one commenter wrote. "Invest in reducing your carbon output then. You pay what you produce."
"That is the idea behind the policy," The Goose responded. "Economic theory suggests people respond to incentives. But the real world can be more complex."
While the clip has garnered a strong wave of criticism, some TikTok users are reacting positively.
"How dare you speak so much logic to the people," one user joked. "I have the 'freedom' to believe whatever I want and I choose to believe misinformation."
"If only everyone could understand," another said.
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