In question period Tuesday, Minister of Finance Jim Reiter said the government is prioritizing permanent, long-term tax relief for residents it argues will have a greater affect on affordability.
The Saskatchewan NDP Opposition is lamenting the price at the pump for Wednesday’s morning commute after it was “blocked” from tabling a motion to suspend the gas tax for six months.
“It will remain the highest in the Prairies after the Sask. Party today blocked the Saskatchewan NDP’s emergency motion to suspend the provincial gas tax and give drivers some much-needed relief,” the NDP said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.
Leading up to the first session of the 30th legislature, which began Monday, Opposition Leader Carla Beck said her caucus planned to introduce an emergency motion Tuesday in the Legislature that would drop gas prices by 15 cents per litre starting Wednesday.
An attempt by Opposition finance critic Trent Wotherspoon to do just that failed Tuesday after members of the Sask. Party denied leave to table it.
During question period, Finance Minister Jim Reiter made it clear the Sask. Party would not support calls for a temporary suspension of the tax. Reiter said the government is prioritizing permanent, long-term tax relief that it argues will have a greater effect on affordability.
The government announced Monday that its first piece of legislation will be the Saskatchewan Affordability Act. The bill is to enact the Saskatchewan Party’s election campaign commitments to address affordability issues, including personal tax relief to save a family of four more than $3,400 over four years.
The province also plans to continue not charging the federal carbon levy on home heating, introduce a home-renovation tax credit and increase benefits for people with disabilities and families with kids in sports and arts.
“Hardworking people who have never struggled before are cutting back on the essentials,” Beck clapped back in Tuesday news release. “They can’t wait until tax season next year to find out if they’ll even benefit from the government’s programs.”
The NDP says pausing the gas tax before the holidays would save families hundreds of dollars over the next course of the suspension.
The issue was a major part of Beck’s campaign leading up to last month’s provincial vote; similar motions have already been passed in Alberta, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The governing United Conservative Party in Alberta and the Manitoba NDP have paused provincial fuel taxes this year, though Alberta’s came back into force in April. Manitoba has decided to extend its pause while Ontario has budgeted a pause until the end of 2024.
The NDP has been calling for a pause on the gas tax for months and even forced a vote in early May during the last session of the legislature to suspend the tax; it also failed.
— with files from Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press
The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.
With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark leaderpost.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.