Talking taxes
Residents curious, cautious, regarding incoming carbon tax at budget consultations
City residents had carbon taxes on their minds during meeting.
Summerside area residents recently had a chance to have a say in the upcoming 2017/2018 provincial budget, and many wanted to talk carbon taxes. Finance Minister Allen Roach and deputy minister David Arsenault were in Summerside for a mid-afternoon pre-budget consultation, one of a number of meetings held across the province.
The meeting was not heavily attended – about a dozen people – but the theme of the province’s incoming carbon tax came up several times. Brian MacArthur, of Tyne Valley, attended the meeting specifically to hear more about the tax, which the federal government mandated all provinces must implement starting in 2018.
“As far as Canada is concerned, we’re right down low, low, low on the scale of contributing to carbon in the world. So I’m just interested to see how hard we’re going to get hit with the tax when we’re probably carbon neutral here,” said MacArthur.
Those in attendance were invited to make presentations. Another man who did, questioned the need for a carbon tax, wanted to know how much money the province expected to generate from it and what the money was going to be used for. Arsenault told the room that the answers were unavailable. “No final decisions have been made,” he said.
“There are a lot of ideas floating around about ‘what could you do with the money.’ Should you refund it back to people’s income taxes, should you take the money and give it back to people and business … maybe through corporate tax relief, or maybe you say ‘here is some money to fix your home up, or insulate, whatever.’ Those things are all, honestly, on the table,” said Arsenault.
There were also other topics discussed, including: tax reform, provincial debt repayment, police training and staffing, seniors care and housing and more.
Carl Pursey, president of the P.E.I. Federation of Labour, encouraged Roach to work with Ottawa towards establishing a national pharmacare program. “In the long-run provinces can save all kinds of money because we can buy prescription drugs in bulk … It’s just a matter of getting the feds to slowly start introducing it,” said Pursey.
More information about the consultation process is available online at: www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/service/pre-budget-consultations Input can be sent directly to government via email at: budgetsubmissions@gov.pe.ca