Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tax hikes are going to cause a pounding hangover for taxpayers in the new year, but Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is ready with some aspirin..First, the bad news..The carbon tax is going up. The mandatory minimum carbon tax the Trudeau government imposes on all provinces other than Quebec is going up to $65 per tonne.. Kris SimsKris Sims .That means the carbon tax will cost an extra 14 cents per litre of gasoline and 17 cents per litre of diesel. It will cost $10 extra to fill up a family minivan with gasoline and more than $22 extra to fill up a heavier duty diesel pickup truck. Hauling our groceries and supplies around will be more expensive as well, as filling the tanks of a big rig diesel will cost about $154 extra..The carbon tax on home heating is getting cranked up, too. Natural gas will cost an extra 12 cents per cubic metre, propane will carry a carbon tax of 10 cents per litre and furnace oil will cost 17 cents extra per litre. The average household in Alberta uses about 2,600 cubic metres of natural gas per year, so that carbon tax bill on home heating will be about $320..The Trudeau government, with the support of the NDP, is also creating a new second carbon tax through fuel regulations. That new tax is due to appear sometime this summer and it will cost about 10 more cents per litre of gasoline and diesel at the fuel pumps..Albertans will be about $847 poorer because of the carbon tax in the new year, even with the rebates factored in. That’s the harshest carbon tax punishment in all of Canada..Yet another blow to taxpayers is federal payroll taxes are going up in the new year..Canadian workers who make more than $40,000 per year will pay higher federal income-based taxes. If you’re making $80,000 per year, your federal income-based taxes are increasing by another $214. Workers making $66,600 or more will pay an extra $255 through the CPP tax in 2023. Their employers will also pay an extra $255..Now for some good news..In Alberta, Premier Smith is lowering taxes. Here’s the aspirin to take the edge off of the Trudeau tax hike headache..Provincial income taxes are being re-indexed. What that means in normal-people-language is our income tax brackets will now keep up with the pace of inflation, keeping more money in our pockets at the end of the year. The Alberta government says it should save the average Albertan about $300..In a big move that will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, Smith is suspending the provincial fuel tax for at least the next six months. That means the 13-cent-per-litre provincial fuel tax on gasoline and diesel is gone for the foreseeable future. That saves about $15 when filling up a pickup truck and about $118 when big rig truck drivers fill up their tanks to deliver our goods..Albertans now pay the lowest fuel costs in Canada and the only taxes we pay at the pump are the ones imposed by the federal government. Lower fuel costs make it more affordable for families to live their lives and for businesses to deliver their services and employ people in the province..This time of year always has its coal and its candy canes..While the Trudeau government is jacking up carbon taxes and payroll taxes on Canadians in the new year — with the NDP cheerleading — folks here in Alberta are getting some welcome relief from the Smith’s UCP government..Let’s hope Smith is tucking some tax-cutting instructions into the Christmas card she’s sending to the prime minister’s residence this season..Kris Sims is the Alberta Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tax hikes are going to cause a pounding hangover for taxpayers in the new year, but Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is ready with some aspirin..First, the bad news..The carbon tax is going up. The mandatory minimum carbon tax the Trudeau government imposes on all provinces other than Quebec is going up to $65 per tonne.. Kris SimsKris Sims .That means the carbon tax will cost an extra 14 cents per litre of gasoline and 17 cents per litre of diesel. It will cost $10 extra to fill up a family minivan with gasoline and more than $22 extra to fill up a heavier duty diesel pickup truck. Hauling our groceries and supplies around will be more expensive as well, as filling the tanks of a big rig diesel will cost about $154 extra..The carbon tax on home heating is getting cranked up, too. Natural gas will cost an extra 12 cents per cubic metre, propane will carry a carbon tax of 10 cents per litre and furnace oil will cost 17 cents extra per litre. The average household in Alberta uses about 2,600 cubic metres of natural gas per year, so that carbon tax bill on home heating will be about $320..The Trudeau government, with the support of the NDP, is also creating a new second carbon tax through fuel regulations. That new tax is due to appear sometime this summer and it will cost about 10 more cents per litre of gasoline and diesel at the fuel pumps..Albertans will be about $847 poorer because of the carbon tax in the new year, even with the rebates factored in. That’s the harshest carbon tax punishment in all of Canada..Yet another blow to taxpayers is federal payroll taxes are going up in the new year..Canadian workers who make more than $40,000 per year will pay higher federal income-based taxes. If you’re making $80,000 per year, your federal income-based taxes are increasing by another $214. Workers making $66,600 or more will pay an extra $255 through the CPP tax in 2023. Their employers will also pay an extra $255..Now for some good news..In Alberta, Premier Smith is lowering taxes. Here’s the aspirin to take the edge off of the Trudeau tax hike headache..Provincial income taxes are being re-indexed. What that means in normal-people-language is our income tax brackets will now keep up with the pace of inflation, keeping more money in our pockets at the end of the year. The Alberta government says it should save the average Albertan about $300..In a big move that will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, Smith is suspending the provincial fuel tax for at least the next six months. That means the 13-cent-per-litre provincial fuel tax on gasoline and diesel is gone for the foreseeable future. That saves about $15 when filling up a pickup truck and about $118 when big rig truck drivers fill up their tanks to deliver our goods..Albertans now pay the lowest fuel costs in Canada and the only taxes we pay at the pump are the ones imposed by the federal government. Lower fuel costs make it more affordable for families to live their lives and for businesses to deliver their services and employ people in the province..This time of year always has its coal and its candy canes..While the Trudeau government is jacking up carbon taxes and payroll taxes on Canadians in the new year — with the NDP cheerleading — folks here in Alberta are getting some welcome relief from the Smith’s UCP government..Let’s hope Smith is tucking some tax-cutting instructions into the Christmas card she’s sending to the prime minister’s residence this season..Kris Sims is the Alberta Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
