What to do about high gas prices in B.C.? Force our politicians to something about it, according to the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation.
B-C Director Kris Sims says Premier John Horgan has that power.
"He could cancel the B-C Carbon Tax," says Sims. "That would immediately take 8.9-cents per litre of the price of gasoline, plus GST. That would save 9.3-cents per litre. There's all sorts of things the premier has the power to do. But if he doesn't want to, he should probably stop calling inquiries."
An inquiry by the B-C Utilities Commission found there is a significant unexplained difference of about 13 cents per litre in southern B.C., compared to the rest of the Pacific Northwest.
Sims says the Carbon Tax is supposed to fund green technology to help reduce emissions. She points out emissions in B.C. have gone up five of the last seven years. The money is also supposed to be revenue neutral.
"All it's doing now, at $40 a ton, is going straight into government coffers," Sims says. "They're not even calling it revenue neutral anymore. They key factor is it's not even reducing emissions. Our emissions are still going up, so why do we have this thing. So if I were a driver in Kelowna and gassing up, I would really be questioning the provincial government as to why we still have the B.C. Carbon Tax."
Sims says the Province takes in over a billion dollars a year from the tax.