Fill up your gas tank: the carbon tax kicks in Monday

REGINA, SK: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is reminding Manitobans to fill up their fuel tanks this weekend because the carbon tax will be added to the price at the pump starting Monday. “Carbon taxes make everything more expensive without helping the environment and yet Ottawa is forcing the carbon tax on Manitoba,” said Todd MacKay, Prairie Director for CTF. “Manitobans need to top up their fuel tanks this weekend because Ottawa’s carbon tax is specifically designed to make it more expensive starting Monday.”

Starting Apr. 1, the new federal carbon tax is set to increase the cost of gasoline by 4.4 cents per litre and the cost of diesel by 6.4 cents per litre. By 2022, the federal government plans to charge a carbon tax of 11 cents per litre on gasoline and 16 cents per litre for diesel. British Columbia implemented a carbon tax a decade ago, but emissions are rising, according to analysis released by the B.C. government. “The price at the pump may go up on Monday, but this issue is far from over,” said MacKay. “Until now, carbon taxes have been theoretical for many people, but they are about to become all too real. The opposition to the carbon tax continues to get stronger.” Both Saskatchewan and Ontario are asking the courts to deem the carbon tax unconstitutional. The CTF is intervening in both actions in opposition to the federal carbon tax. “The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is proud to stand with Ontario and Saskatchewan to fight the federal carbon tax,” said MacKay. “This is going to be a long hard fight, but we’re determined to stand up for taxpayers and scrap the carbon tax.”