In an effort to “wake up politicians in Ottawa” to the financial burden of the carbon tax on average citizens, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling on people to send their utility bills to MPs..In a release, the CTF notified Canadians that MPs are heading into special meetings this week called “caucus retreats.”.“During these meetings, all of the MPs get together, they shut the door and they tell their party leaders what they think needs to be done. MPs tell their party leaders what their constituents are saying to them,” said the release..With that in mind, CTF officials suggested Canadians take pictures of their heating bills or gas receipts, circle the line showing the carbon tax added to the bill and send it to their MP..“Tell them it’s not right to be punished with a carbon tax for staying alive in winter in Canada,” said the release..“We want to remind our politicians in Ottawa who are racking up pay raise after pay raise, their constituents have been struggling through the lockdowns and higher taxes,” CTF Federal Director Franco Terrazzano told the Western Standard..“Canadians have lost their jobs, had pay cuts, some have even lost their businesses. Most of our politicians are so detached from fiscal reality they can’t even understand how big of an issue this is for so many Canadians.”.Terrazzano believes politicians need to see how “the sky-high cost of living is making tough times tougher.”.The CTF mobilized a similar push last year and said they had a huge response from taxpayers who sent their gas bills to both the CTF and their government representatives..“In some cases, the carbon tax on bills was actually higher than the cost of gas, particularly in BC,” said Terrazzano..One natural gas bill the CTF received from a customer in Black Diamond, AB, had a carbon tax charge of $73.42 — amounting to 63% of their monthly cost of gas at $117.40..Another submitted bill showed a total of $65.64 paid in taxes — including BC’s HST — accounting for 21% of tax paid on the bill..“Conservative MP Arnold Viersen just publically stated he would oppose a carbon tax ‘regardless of whichever leader is imposing it.’ It’s a good bet he’s listening to his constituents about carbon taxes. Your MP needs to hear from you,” said the release..In 2018, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government passed the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act which gave the government the authority to levy a carbon tax on Canadian provinces that don’t implement a carbon pricing system of their own. The tax was set at $20 per tonne in 2019 and will rise $10 per year until it reaches $50 per tonne in 2022..“We live in a cold country and out of necessity we need to heat our homes,” said Terrazzano adding, “essentially we’re getting punished for having no choice but to use gas to heat our homes and drive our vehicles.”.This year, taxpayers are encouraged to send their energy bills directly to their MP with the subject “Scrap the Carbon Tax.”.The CTF included this link to find an MP..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
