Posted by
Catmman on Monday, March 02, 2009 9:46:38 AM
We are told to cut back our energy usage/consumption to conserve resources.
Less use means less tax revenue going into whichever government.
Less energy use = lower energy bills for the consumer, right?
Not neccessarily. Solution? Add a 'fee' to the conusmers's bill. The conusmer who is doing their part to help out with conserving resources and who is also trying to save a bit of money gets the shaft. Why add the fee? To cover the loss of revenue generated through conservation. Lesson? Conservation is a shell game. The consumer reduces usage to conserve (and to save money) but the government and the corporation just add a 'fee' to offset the lost revenue. So what good is conservation?
In March, Virginia Natural Gas customers will start paying a charge related to the company's new conservation program.
The March bill will show a $7 charge for customers who use 10,000 cubic feet of gas, or 100 Ccf. A state law passed last year allows the natural gas provider to add the charge to make up the income it will lose if customers reduce their usage.
We saw this last year when people started cutting back on fuel usage due to high prices. When people cut back their usage (for whatever reason) the taxes necessarily generated by the usage drop. The government takes it in the shorts. But instead of the government 'conserving' (such as cutting back expenditures to cover the loss) they come up with a cockamamie scheme so they don't have to suffer, while still sticking it to the consumer.
So, any time the government comes to you, or you hear a government official telling you 'conservation' is part of their energy plan, take their words with a grain of salt. A hidden fee to cover the governments loss of revenue is sure to follow.