The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is urging the federal government to eliminate the carbon tax following a report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) that shows the tax is costing Canadian households more than they receive in rebates. The report, released Thursday, confirms that the carbon tax is leaving many families with a net financial burden.“Once again, the PBO confirms that the carbon tax costs average families hundreds of dollars more than they get back in rebates,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “This PBO report proves that politicians’ favorite talking point is incorrect and it proves the carbon tax is making life harder for Canadians.”Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has maintained that households benefit from the carbon tax through rebates, claiming that “families are going to be better off.” However, the PBO’s findings indicate otherwise. According to the report, the average household in provinces where the federal carbon pricing backstop is in place will face a net cost this year due to higher federal fuel charges and GST, as well as reduced incomes tied to the tax, surpassing the value of rebates..The report highlights that the average household could be paying up to $399 more annually due to the carbon tax. Additionally, the government collects an estimated $400 million in GST from the carbon tax, which is not returned to taxpayers through rebates.The PBO also pointed out that, despite the costs imposed on Canadians, “Canada’s own emissions are not large enough to materially impact climate change.”“It’s simply not credible to believe the government can impose a carbon tax, skim some money off the top, charge its sales tax on top of the carbon tax, and then make families better off,” said Terrazzano. “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should take this PBO report as a wake-up call and scrap the carbon tax to make life more affordable.”.The federal Tories issued a release saying the PBO report proved they had been correct all along."This proves what Common Sense Conservatives have been saying all along — the carbon tax is nothing more than an expensive scam," said the party."Instead of giving Canadians the relief they deserve, Trudeau decided to hike his carbon tax by 23 percent last spring, as part of his plan to quadruple the carbon tax by 2030. And all the while Trudeau was punishing Canadians with this tax, he pretended that it was somehow making Canadians richer."
