Federal carbon tax kicks in four provinces

By Tahreem Fatima

BELLEVILLE– A carbon tax will now be charged in four Canadian provinces – Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan as of April 1.

As part of its national plan to put a price on the carbon Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau’s government imposed the federal carbon tax on four provinces which make up nearly half of Canada’s population. These provinces didn’t have their own pollution control plan. Trudeau implemented a carbon levy over the objections of conservative premiers. The tax is imposed to discourage carbon emissions.

Keeping the affordability of the average Canadian in consideration, the government has announced a rebate for the tax. Under carbon pricing, reducing your carbon footprints means saving money. Even if a household cuts its emission to zero, it will still receive the full rebate.

According to the government, approximately 80% of households will receive more in tax rebates than they pay in carbon costs.  The top 20% of income earners will pay more in carbon taxes than they receive in rebates.