By Gerald
I received my first check in the mail for the carbon rebates promised by the Alberta Government. Like everything else governments do, they do not stop to think about what they are doing. I happen to own my own property and also have rental property and the rent I receive includes the utilities. The tenant does not pay utilities so why would the tenant receive a rebate check. When a landlord pays the utilities a tenant has no incentive to reduce their carbon footprint. The Alberta Government had better rethink the rebate program and pay rebates to the person who is paying the utilities. The only way to offset the increase in utilities is to increase the rent and it appears that this may be what the Alberta Government was thinking when they sent every one in Alberta a check based on their 2015 income. Worse yet is when a person over the age of 18 is living at home and has filed their 2015 income tax but does not pay utilities or drive a car, they too would receive a rebate creating a windfall for people who have no incentive to reduce their carbon footprint. There could be multiple children living at home with their parents and all would receive a rebate check despite the fact that only the parents may pay utilities and no one drives a car.
Please explain why all people in Alberta receive rebates even though they do not pay utilities or drive a car.
