Taxpayers Federation opposes fuel tax hike

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is urging the provincial government to scrap its planned April 1 fuel tax hike.

That increase - on April Fool’s Day - is scheduled for the same day the federal government will be increasing the carbon tax.

Lethbridge-based CTF director Kris Sims says in a release that Alberta residents don’t need that extra financial hit.

“The Trudeau government is already slapping us with a carbon tax hike and the last thing Albertans need is to be punched by their own provincial government,” said Sims.

“You can’t tear a strip off the prime minister for jacking up his carbon tax and turn around and hike your own fuel tax by even more on the same day, what gives?”

The provincial fuel tax currently sits at nine cents per litre.

The province plans to increase the tax on gas and diesel up to 13 cents a litre on April 1.

The CTF is questioning the need for the UCP to hike the fuel tax.

By its figures, the CTF says “at full cost, the provincial fuel tax adds on about $10 per fill up for a minivan, about $15 for a pickup truck and about $130 extra for a big rig truck using diesel.”

It notes that when the carbon tax increases to $80 per tonne, that will add 17 centrs to the cost per litre of gasoline, 21 cents per litre to the price of diesel fuel and 15 cents per cubic metre of natural gas.

“Albertans are counting on their provincial government to shield them against Trudeau’s carbon tax and instead they are getting a provincial tax hike at the pumps, too,” said Sims. “It’s a mystery why the NDP government in Manitoba has suspended its provincial fuel tax, saving drivers 14 cents per litre, but Albertans are seeing their fuel taxes going back up.”