In June 2008, British Columbia became the first and only Canadian province to introduce a carbon tax, and was praised and criticized by environmentalists, economists and politicians. , questioning whether the tax is an effective or destructive method of controlling greenhouse gas emissions. Liberal Prime Minister Gordon Campbell introduced the carbon tax; its main objective would be to impose a carbon tax to increase the price of fossil fuel consumption in the province, the philosophy behind the tax was to increase taxes on purchases deemed harmful to the environment and to reduce the tax on others. The carbon tax promised to achieve this goal in a carbon-neutral manner, meaning that revenues from the tax would be recycled back to taxpayers via reductions in other provincial taxes (“Revenue”. Province of Columbia). British, 2011). The introduction of the tax was not well received by opposing political parties; the NDP party launched the carbon tax campaign and justified it as a failure. Additionally, the Conservative Party was opposed to the tax and considered it ineffective and dangerous, quoting Prime Minister Harper who said the tax would "screw everyone." (PM: Dion's carbon tax would 'screw everyone' - Canada - CBC News, 2008) Nevertheless, the tax was still in effect. Three years have passed since the tax was introduced and while many still argue that it is still too early to determine whether or not the tax is effective, there are many observations that can be made to shed light on this question. While it may be too early to tell whether or not the tax is effective, B.C.'s carbon tax is the best method of controlling greenhouse gas emissions. It would be difficult to argue that the tax is a paper middle ground......the dangers associated with its implementation. Works Cited Ebner, David and Shawn McCarthy. "British Columbia sees success with controversial carbon tax." Globe and Mail [Toronto] July 3, 2011: 2. Print. « Greenery in Canada: we have a winner | The Economist. » The Economist - Global news, politics, economics, business and finance. Np, and Web. November 2, 2011. .Horne, Matt. “Why B.C.’s carbon tax needs to increase.” The Tyee – Home. Np, and Web. November 7, 2011. “PM: Dion's carbon tax would 'screw everyone' - Canada - CBC News. » CBC.ca - Canadian News Sports Entertainment Kids Docs Radio TV. Np, and Web. November 30, 2011. “Revenue.” The Province of British Columbia - Home. Np, and Web. November 9. 2011. .