VICTORIA — British Columbians are facing a future without a consumer carbon tax for the first time in 17 years, after the early-morning approval of a bill to end the long-standing policy. Read More
The NDP government fast-tracked legislation in an effort to kill off the tax on Monday, in time to coincide with today’s demise of the federal version of the tax, but it was 1:30 a.m. before it finally passed its third reading in the legislature.
The NDP government fast-tracked legislation in an effort to kill off the tax on Monday, in time to coincide with today’s demise of the federal version of the tax, but it was 1:30 a.m. before it finally passed its third reading in the legislature.
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VICTORIA — British Columbians are waking to a future without a consumer carbon tax for the first time in 17 years, after the early-morning approval of a bill to end the long-standing policy.
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The NDP government fast-tracked legislation in an effort to kill off the tax on Monday, in time to coincide with today’s demise of the federal version of the tax, but it was 1:30 a.m. before it finally passed its third reading in the legislature.
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Premier David Eby had said Monday he expected gas prices to fall by about 17 cents a litre today as the impact of the tax’s repeal kicked in, but price-watching websites were mostly showing smaller drops around 7 a.m.
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Sunrise
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Eby says the province’s utilities commission has the authority to uncover price gouging and British Columbians expect the price difference to show up at the pumps.
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The final vote to end the tax came about 15 hours after Finance Minister Brenda Bailey put the bill to the legislature.
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It marks the end of a tax that has been in place since 2008, when B.C. became the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce a broad-based carbon levy.
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Eby says it played an important role for many years, but it became a “toxic” issue as a result of campaigns by the B.C. and federal Conservative parties.
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