A new report by the federal budget watchdog found that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s second carbon tax will cost the average Canadian family up to $1,157 by the year 2030.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) blasted the federal government over the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s (PBO) assessment, calling on Trudeau to scrap the scheme at a time of increasing affordability.
“Canadians are already struggling to afford gasoline and groceries and the last thing we need is another carbon tax that makes life more expensive,” said CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano.
“The PBO is clear: the second carbon tax will cost families hundreds and even thousands of dollars.”
Canadians will first start paying the carbon tax on July 1, 2023 as part of a clean fuel regulations scheme.
This is on top of the federal carbon tax already in place.
The PBO estimated that costs will range between $384 and $1,157 by the end of this decade depending on the province of residence.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must do the right thing and scrap his carbon taxes,” said Terrazzano.
According to the PBO, the price of gasoline will rise by 17 cents per litre as a result of the second carbon tax which is “regressive for households.”
“Lower income households generally spend a larger share of their income on transportation and other energy-intensive goods and services compared to higher income households,” wrote the PBO.
Additionally, the PBO report stated that Canada’s own emissions are not large enough to materially impact climate change.”
