Does the Green Light from the Government Really Mean "Go"?: Challenges Associated with Canadian Tax Instruments on Renewable Energy Development

Various levels of governments in Canada have introduced different types of tax instruments in order to encourage the development of renewable energy. This paper will look at the challenges that render those tax instruments inefficient and/or ineffective. For the ease of discussion, I will divide the said challenges by a hypothetical timeline of “before” and “during” the implementation of renewable energy. “Before” the implementation, some of the current tax incentives are criticized to be ineffective because there are better policy substitutes. It is also found that the inherent characteristics of renewable energy sources themselves render policy instruments inefficient. “During” the implementation, the currently existing “unlevel playing field” with the conventional oil and gas industry is found to be the strongest factor that causes tax incentives on renewable energy ineffective; the introduction of a carbon tax is recommended here. Lastly, even the most comprehensive tax measures are found unable to completely address the “exogenous” factors.MAS