When the decision about the GST was made way back in the Mulroney years, a very specific public policy decision was made to make it visible so that consumers knew when they were paying it and when governments were jacking it up or dropping it. It was visible, so it would be difficult for a government to jack up the GST without consumers knowing about it.
The carbon tax is a hidden, buried and nefarious tax that consumers can't see, but it affects them every day. Should we not require it to be public? As the carbon tax rises to $170 a tonne and goes to 61¢ a litre on gas, should we not require by law that it be publicly disclosed so consumers know what they're paying?