FORT ST. JOHN, B.C – Drivers in the Peace region may want to fill up their vehicle before gas prices increase Thursday.
The B.C. carbon tax is going up to $45 per tonne on April 1st, which will cost 9.9 cents per litre of gasoline, 12 cents per litre of diesel and 8.8 cents per cubic metre of natural gas.
As an example, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) says the tax will add $7 to fill up a minivan, $12 extra for a light-duty pick-up truck and $65 extra for a tank on a big rig truck.
“People will be paying more to heat, eat and drive to work as of tomorrow,” says Kris Sims, B.C. Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
The CTF says the B.C. carbon tax has been the highest in Canada since 2008, while emissions in the province continue to rise.
“According to government data, emissions have increased 10 per cent in the past three years and have gone up in five of the last seven years,” says a CTF release Wednesday.
As part of the federal governments plan to reach $50 per tonne by 2022, Canada’s carbon price has increased $10 per tonne per year. Through the plan, the tax is going up to $40 per tonne across the country in April. According to the Canada Revenue Agency, the increase will result in an additional 8.8 cents per litre of gasoline.
Once the carbon price reaches $50 next year, it will increase $15 per year until it maxes out at $170 per tonne of emissions in 2030, as part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal plan.
The province is ahead of the federal tax until the 2022 increase, which means B.C. will need to increase its annual hike per year from $5 per tonne.
The increase comes a week after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the federal carbon tax as constitutional.
The Peace River River Regional District board is set to continue conversations in May regarding a possible tax exemption for residents in its jurisdiction.
