The federal government will be imposing a carbon tax on New Brunswick since the Trudeau government feels the province didn’t have a proper system in place to curb pollution.
Starting in January, big industry will face a carbon tax of $20 per tonne of emissions and that figure will grow until it reaches $50 per tonne by 2022.
In April, a so-called levy of about 4 cents will be applied to the price of gasoline per litre.
Due to rising costs stemming from this plan, Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe MP Ginette Petitpas Taylor says families will receive federal rebates which they can apply for starting with their 2018 tax return.
“So we will be giving the money to New Brunswickers even before they even start paying additional costs as a result of these changes. So we certainly want to make sure that New Brunswickers are in no way out of pocket,” she says.
Petitpas Taylor says the average New Brunswick family (of four) will spend about $207 more per year and will receive a federal rebate which is actually higher – about $250 per year.
For single adults, the rebate next year will be about $128.
Residents in rural areas will get larger rebates than those in urban areas since they don’t have access to public transit.
Using census data, Petitpas Taylor says New Brunswick only has two defined urban areas – Moncton and Saint John.
While 90 percent of the tax revenue includes rebates, the remaining 10 percent will be returned to New Brunswick to help small and medium-sized businesses reduce their carbon footprint.
