Canada

Right but now the car company had a massive incentive to build more efficient vehicles. The tax also isn't for the consumer necessarily is it?.

What you will pay is nothing compared to companies running factories and shipping between stores.

If you haven't looked into it, our logistics system is all kinds of fucked up. In some cases shipping parts across the ocean to get assembled and shipped back for more assembling before being shipped back again. All because carbon based energy usage has been dirt cheap for too long.

Its cheapness places externalities on society that we all pay anyways. Carbon taxes is a way to recoup the costs. Its a cost that had we known about these externalities then it would have been built in from the start. It's multifaceted and encouraged by many as a good solution

And in your case you're likely breaking even or getting a little back from the carbon pricing system.

You as the consumer isn't been told fuck you. You're being slightly incentivised to make better choices, and rewarded if you do, but not penalized if you don't.

You tax what you want less of. Its pretty simple.

It's not wrong headed at all. There is always an alternative.

In some cases that alternative is transit. In some cases that alternative is cycling. In some cases that alternative is carpooling. In some cases that alternative is driving an existing car more efficiently. In some cases that alternative is choosing to buy a ICE smaller car. In some cases that alternative is buying a BEV.

In all those cases, even a small step will reward someone for making that choise.

That's why the rebate.

People below a certain income and have less options get that tax money spent back.

Those who are wealthier and can afford other options like Electric vehicles and heat pumps don't get the money back. That money goes ideally towards developing green infrastructure like charging stations (no idea if they actually do, but that's the idea)

I think the idea is that you will not necessarily choose near zero carbon alternatives such as cycling to work or buying an electric car. Those simply won't work for most for a variety of reasons. But by bumping the price of gas, it makes people who can't or won't choose an alternative very aware of the cost of going anywhere, and causes many to drive more sparingly by carpooling, waiting until they have multiple reasons for trips or choosing not to go out every weekend. For those with deep pockets it is probably little more than an annoyance that won't change their behaviour, but increasing fuel prices works very well to curb overall demand.