Trudeau hikes carbon tax as he gives himself raise
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hiking up the carbon tax for Canadian citizens on April 1st, the same day he will also be increasing his own wages.
The carbon tax, which Trudeau imposed on major provinces in 2019, requires the provinces to pay a tax on carbon emissions in the so-called war against climate change.
The federal carbon tax is being raised to $501 per ton of carbon emissions on April 1st and will be raised by $10 each year until 2030.
This carbon tax manifests itself in various ways for Canadian citizens, one of which is a hike in gas prices. Due to the tax, provinces will be charging their residents an extra 11 cents per liter on gas, up from 8.8 cents, according to CBC.
The Trudeau administration insists that citizens actually benefit from the tax through federal tax rebates, instituted to reward Canadians for living a more environment-friendly lifestyle.
But Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux says that Canadians will actually be worse off when you consider other factors, such as the hit to the GDP and labor income.
By next year, calculates Giroux, the average Manitoba household will be worse off by $299. The average Ontario household will be worse off by $360. The average Saskatchewan household will be worse off by $390, and the average Alberta household will be worse off by $671.
But while the carbon tax will be increasing for Canadians tomorrow, Canada’s Parliament officials will be taking their third pay raise since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the lion’s share going to Prime Minister Trudeau.
CKPG News reports that as of Friday, Trudeau’s salary will be $379,404, a $21,604 increase from his pre-pandemic salary. Ministers will see an increase of $15,865, and senators will see a $10,802 salary hike.
Given that these selfsame officials were responsible for locking down and fining Canadian citizens during the pandemic – costing countless livelihoods – it is unsurprising that 79% of Canadians oppose the pay raise for officials, according to a poll by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF).
CTF Federal Director Franco Terrazzano called it a “slap in the face” to Canadians.
“It’s wrong for politicians to pocket bigger paycheques while the people they represent suffer through a pandemic, pay cuts, job and business losses,” said Terrazzano.
“It shouldn’t be rocket science for MPs to do the right thing and stop taking bigger salaries during the pandemic.”
- All references to currency in the article are Canadian.
