Amid an affordability crisis, British Columbians can’t afford another NDP tax increase.
Half of British Columbians are $200 or less away from being able to pay their bills at the end of each month. People working two to three jobs feel like, no matter how hard they work, they just can’t get ahead. Essential costs continue to rise while real incomes drop.
The financial pinch is about to get even worse as David Eby proceeds with his planned 23 per cent carbon tax increase on April 1, 2024. From 2017 to 2023, the NDP has more than doubled the carbon tax, and plans laid out by Eby signal an increase to an overwhelming 461 per cent by 2030.
British Columbia already has the highest gas prices and taxes in North America, this latest tax hike will increase the carbon tax to almost 18 cents a litre, in addition to the 14.5 cents a litre provincial motor fuel tax.
This increased pain at the pump represents the latest addition to a series of 32 new and increased taxes introduced by David Eby and the NDP, which have escalated the cost-of-living pressures, leading to British Columbia becoming the most expensive province in the nation.
The carbon tax, which was once a revenue-neutral tax shift that returned every dollar back to British Columbians and lowered emissions, has been transformed into an NDP tax grab, with the government now pocketing approximately 60 per cent of the tax revenue.
This drastic shift has turned a policy meant to combat climate change and grow the economy into another financial burden on the wallets of British Columbians, all while the NDP have failed to hit a single emissions target.
Unlike the NDP, we know that you can’t tax your way to affordability.
BC United believes that B.C. can be a climate leader in a way that doesn’t pinch the wallets of hard-working British Columbians just trying to provide for their families.
BC United will scrap David Eby’s carbon tax hike and will permanently eliminate the provincial gas tax, which will save drivers up to $30 every time they fill their tanks. Nobody should be punished for commuting to work, picking up their kids from school, or driving to medical appointments.
We have also promised that if a new federal government in Ottawa chooses to scrap the federal carbon tax, BC United will remove it in B.C. as well, ensuring that our province receives the same relief as the rest of the country.
David Eby’s plan to proceed with his April 1 carbon tax hike shows he doesn’t understand the affordability crisis unfolding across the province.
BC United has a real plan to scrap David Eby’s carbon tax hike and leave more money in your wallet — where it belongs.