Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck is calling on Premier Scott Moe to give families a summer break and suspend the provincial gas tax for the next six months.Beck made her comments in front of a Petro-Canada in Regina on Albert Street North.“Families who used to be able to afford vacations are living paycheque to paycheque, pinching pennies just to get by,” said Beck. “Everyone from Manitoba's NDP Premier Wab Kinew to federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wants the gas tax suspended. This is a common-sense solution that Premier Moe could implement today with the stroke of a pen.”The Sask. Party government levies a 15-cent-per-litre tax on gas and diesel. Suspending the tax for six months would save families approximately $356.Provincial governments in Manitoba, Alberta, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador have already delivered gas tax relief, and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called for a pause to the gas tax last week. “I think this is a question of fairness,” said Beck. “It's plain wrong for this premier to make families pay for his million-dollar trip to Dubai while many can’t even afford the drive to Lake Diefenbaker. After 17 years, this government has lost touch with the challenges facing working families. It’s time for a change.”During the last legislative session, Sask. Party MLAs voted unanimously against gas tax relief."Saskatchewan not only has the highest rate of grocery inflation, the highest rate of rent inflation. Something else that we're pointing out today is that since 2018 when Scott Moe became Premier, we're one of only three provinces that actually has seen a decrease in net median income," Beck said.When asked how the province should handle the revenue shortfall from not having gas taxes, Beck suggested the government had a spending problem and that addressing affordability should be a priority.Saskatchewan's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by only 1% in April 2024 over April 2023. This marks the second-lowest increase among the provinces and sits far below the national average of 2.7%. However, it trails Manitoba's increase of 0.4%, a province that has suspended gas taxes."Removing the carbon tax from home heating is helping our province tackle inflation," Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Donna Harpauer said. "Our government will always fight for the people of Saskatchewan and stand up against policies that hurt our province."The CPI measures changes in the price of goods and services over time. Inflation is indicated by the growth of CPI, which helps assess changes to the cost of living. An individual's ability to buy goods and services is affected by changes in income and prices.
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck is calling on Premier Scott Moe to give families a summer break and suspend the provincial gas tax for the next six months.Beck made her comments in front of a Petro-Canada in Regina on Albert Street North.“Families who used to be able to afford vacations are living paycheque to paycheque, pinching pennies just to get by,” said Beck. “Everyone from Manitoba's NDP Premier Wab Kinew to federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wants the gas tax suspended. This is a common-sense solution that Premier Moe could implement today with the stroke of a pen.”The Sask. Party government levies a 15-cent-per-litre tax on gas and diesel. Suspending the tax for six months would save families approximately $356.Provincial governments in Manitoba, Alberta, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador have already delivered gas tax relief, and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called for a pause to the gas tax last week. “I think this is a question of fairness,” said Beck. “It's plain wrong for this premier to make families pay for his million-dollar trip to Dubai while many can’t even afford the drive to Lake Diefenbaker. After 17 years, this government has lost touch with the challenges facing working families. It’s time for a change.”During the last legislative session, Sask. Party MLAs voted unanimously against gas tax relief."Saskatchewan not only has the highest rate of grocery inflation, the highest rate of rent inflation. Something else that we're pointing out today is that since 2018 when Scott Moe became Premier, we're one of only three provinces that actually has seen a decrease in net median income," Beck said.When asked how the province should handle the revenue shortfall from not having gas taxes, Beck suggested the government had a spending problem and that addressing affordability should be a priority.Saskatchewan's Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by only 1% in April 2024 over April 2023. This marks the second-lowest increase among the provinces and sits far below the national average of 2.7%. However, it trails Manitoba's increase of 0.4%, a province that has suspended gas taxes."Removing the carbon tax from home heating is helping our province tackle inflation," Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Donna Harpauer said. "Our government will always fight for the people of Saskatchewan and stand up against policies that hurt our province."The CPI measures changes in the price of goods and services over time. Inflation is indicated by the growth of CPI, which helps assess changes to the cost of living. An individual's ability to buy goods and services is affected by changes in income and prices.
