Carbon-Based Scams

(My province has recently adopted a carbon tax, which is charged on various types of fuel. It’s built into the cost of items and is not added on at the till the way GST is. A young customer comes to my till with a six pack of beer. My store does not include sales tax and recycling deposit on our price tags, so the price of his beer jumps from $14.95 to $16.34 at the register.)

Customer: “Man, f*** the carbon tax!”

Me: “Why do you say that?”

Customer: “It’s making my beer more expensive! The lady at the last store told me it was because of the carbon tax. Why else would it be sixteen bucks?!”

Me: “We charge the standard 5% GST plus a recycling deposit of 10 cents per can. Also, the carbon tax doesn’t directly impact the price of alcohol; it’s only charged on fuels like gas, diesel, propane…”

Customer: “But the lady at the last store said I had to pay four bucks for the carbon tax!”

Customer’s Friend: “Well then, the lady at the last store screwed you out of four bucks, man!”