Federal Carbon Tax Coming To New Brunswick
SAINT JOHN — New Brunswickers will join the federal government’s backstop and dump its own carbon-pricing plan.
Premier Blaine Higgs said on Thursday the change in approach will put federal money into New Brunswickers’ pockets at a critical time.
“We know that recently and especially over the last few months, New Brunswickers have been feeling the impact of inflation and are struggling with the higher prices on everything from food to fuel,” Higgs said.
Higgs doesn’t agree with the federal carbon tax but he added there is no room for negotiation with Ottawa.
“Notwithstanding the crisis we’ve seen in Europe, the carbon tax has indeed brought additional costs of everything we buy every day, in addition to our travelling expenses.”
Under the federal backstop, 90 percent of revenues collected are returned to individuals through rebate cheques determined by the federal government and are based on the amount of carbon tax collected in the province each year.
Although it’s not certain yet how much New Brunswickers will receive, a family of four in Nova Scotia is estimated to receive an annualized amount of $992 in 2023-24. That number is $960 in Prince Edward Island.
Higgs added he expects the amount in New Brunswick to be close to these amounts.
Allan Dearing is a reporter with 91.9 The Bend in Moncton, a Huddle content partner.