October 24, 2018

HALIFAX, NS: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) launched a petition on Wednesday calling on Nova Scotia premier Stephen McNeil to scrap his cap-and-trade carbon tax and join the other provinces fighting Ottawa’s carbon tax.

The Nova Scotia government expects its cap-and-trade carbon tax to bring in $25 to $30 million from Nova Scotians every year, starting in 2020. That money will be funneled into a Green Fund which the province will dedicate to various spending items.

“The Nova Scotia government will pad its coffers with tens of millions for corporate welfare and other pet projects,” said CTF Atlantic Director Paige MacPherson. “But the cap-and-trade carbon tax will make life more difficult for Nova Scotia families, and services like ambulances and hospitals will be more expensive to provide.”

Nova Scotians have already met the 2030 emissions reduction targets. Currently, Nova Scotians pay the highest sales tax, the highest top income tax rate and the highest business tax rate of any province in Canada.

“While job creators see other provinces fighting the carbon tax, Premier McNeil is compromising Nova Scotia’s competitiveness and quality of life with an unnecessary cash grab,” said MacPherson.

The CTF has long been a voice for the growing number of Canadians opposed to carbon tax grabs.

Nova Scotians opposed to the government’s cap-and-trade carbon tax are welcomed to sign the CTF petition here: https://www.taxpayer.com/resource-centre/petitions/petition?tpContentId=185