VANCOUVER, BC: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) expressed serious concerns over the NDP-Green government’s announcement of a “CleanBC” plan released in downtown Vancouver today.

“This plan is long on platitudes and short on prices, but we are worried that it’s going to cost average working people a ton of money,” said Kris Sims, BC Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation who attended the announcement. “We already pay the highest carbon tax in all of Canada, the highest gas prices in North America and our housing costs more than Manhattan in many cases. People who work normal jobs without fancy expense accounts cannot afford these costly plans.”

The plan released today by the provincial government will ban gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles in British Columbia by the year 2040, with the government saying they can offer incentives to get people to buy a new electric car. Those incentives come from taxpayers in the first place. The plan also states that the government will require all newly built homes to be “net zero energy ready” – possibly raising the pressure on homeowners to switch from affordable natural gas to more expensive electric heating and raising the cost of home construction for contractors. Those higher costs will be passed on to homebuyers and renters.

“When governments start forcing people to stop using something as essential to the modern world as oil and gasoline, they wind up costing families a lot of money just for living their lives,” added Sims. “We are seeing everyday people rise up against these fuel and carbon taxes in places like Ontario and overseas, in places like France. Politicians need to remember that they answer to the people, and if people can’t afford the cost of living anymore because of taxes and arbitrary rules, they will push back.”

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CONTACT

Kris Sims, BC Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Mobile Phone or text message:  604-997-1798

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @kris_sims

The CTF is Canada's leading non-partisan citizens' advocacy group fighting for lower taxes, less waste and accountable government. Founded in 1990, the CTF has more than 140,000 supporters and seven offices across Canada. The CTF is funded by free-will, non tax-receiptable contributions.