• • • Trudeau’s carbon tax relief strongly favours Atlantic Canada
    • Albertans pay about $337 extra in the carbon tax for home heat

LETHBRIDGE, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the federal government to scrap the carbon tax on home heating fuels for Albertans.

“Albertans are paying big carbon tax bills on home heating and we are getting zero relief from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and that’s not fair,” said Kris Sims, Alberta Director for the CTF. “The vast majority of Albertans use natural gas to heat their homes and that fuel is still getting nailed with the carbon tax while the prime minister is giving Atlantic Canadians a break on furnace oil.”

At an Ottawa news conference Thursday, Trudeau announced he was suspending his carbon tax on furnace oil for three years.

Only about three per cent of homes in Canada use furnace oil and almost all of those homes are located in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. This will save those Atlantic Canadian households about $272 per year in the carbon tax.

“The prime minister credited his ‘amazing’ Atlantic MPs for the carbon tax break on furnace oil,” said Sims. “Where are Alberta Liberal MPs like Randy Boissannault and George Chahal? Why aren’t they making the same stand to get Alberta taxpayers the same carbon tax relief as Atlantic MPs?”

Alberta homes largely rely on natural gas for home heating. An average Alberta home uses about 2,800 cubic metres of natural gas per year, so the carbon tax will cost Albertans about $337 extra to heat their home.

The Parliamentary Budget Office calculated that Albertans are paying more than $700 due to the carbon tax this year, even after accounting for rebates.

“Albertans are being left out in the cold because Trudeau is refusing to give us the same relief he is giving to Atlantic Canada,” said Sims. “This carbon tax should be scrapped for everyone, everywhere.

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