“Scott Moe claimed on April 1 that
Saskatchewan is carbon tax free. Seven months later that promise is starting to look like a sick April Fools’ Day joke — only it’s not funny,” said Carla Beck, Saskatchewan NDP Leader.
“The Premier needs to be straight with the people of Saskatchewan. The Sask. Party's provincial carbon tax has been nothing more than a slush fund and is no way to build a bright future for this province.”
When asked Thursday about the future of the provincial carbon tax – otherwise known as the output-based performance standards – Moe changed his tune on one of the defining issues of his tenure as Premier.
Reporter: “Do you see Saskatchewan charging an industrial carbon price again, putting it back on the table?”
Moe: “We’ll see where we get.”
According to the mid-year financial report, the Sask. Party government continues to use the Sask. Party carbon tax to inflate its books, despite claiming to have stopped collection. The government booked $466.9 million in revenue from the provincial carbon tax at mid-year, up $35.4 million from the first quarter.
“’We’ll see where we get’ is a far cry from ‘just watch me,’” said Aleana Young, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Jobs and the Economy. “All I see ultimately are Sask. Party lies, lies and more lies.”
“Jim Reiter’s deficit would be double the size without the provincial carbon tax – this government has never met a tax they couldn’t become immediately, desperately reliant on. It’s unacceptable to whipsaw industry back and forth. Business can’t operate when the rules change on a dime.
Beck added, “Scott Moe promised that Saskatchewan would be carbon tax free.
“He’s said it in the legislature multiple times, with his Ministers parroting this line an hour before his flipflop. It’s clear this desperate Premier will say anything to anyone — that’s not leadership.”
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