As Nova Scotian families begin to pack up their car and head out of town for the long weekend, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has released a government document showing that if the provincial government gets its way, we’ll all be paying three-times more tax on those glass bottles sitting in our coolers.

The Federation obtained an internal “Discussion Paper” produced by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment that suggests a new “recycling fee” could be added to glass bottles and liquor bottles under 500ml (beer & coolers). The bottle fee will double from 10 cents to 20 cents with the same 5 cent refund when you return the bottle. The tax will increase from 5 cents to 15 cents per bottle.

On a case of 12 beers, this new tax will add another $1.20 to the bill, with a total bottle fee of $2.40 (consumers can recoup only 60 cents of that). Recycling/deposit fees in Nova Scotia are some of the highest in Canada.

“The government needs to come clean right now and tell Nova Scotians whether they are going to be getting dinged with yet another tax increase,” said Kevin Lacey, Atlantic Director with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

Initially, the proposal does not increase the costs on other products like plastic bottles but, the discussion paper says the new recycling tax, “would fluctuate dependent upon recyclability and/or marketability of the product.” That means the tax increase on glass liquor bottles could be just the tip of the iceberg, and taxes on other beverages like pop and juice will likely follow.

“The government is setting up a system to ensure they squeeze every last penny they can possible get out of the average working family,” continued Lacey.

The CTF is calling on the Minister to say one way or the other if they are seriously considering this tax hike.

A copy of the Nova Scotia Department of Environment’s “Discussion Paper” can be found HERE.

All information relating to bottle recycling is on page 6.