If you thought the carbon tax being charged was bad enough, how do you feel about paying the GST/HST on top of that carbon tax?
Reports first emerged last week that the feds would charge the tax on the tax. A finance department official saying that the feds wouldn’t see a “significant rise” in GST revenue from charging the tax on the tax.
“Most consumers would have spent the related funds on other GST/HST taxable goods and services,” said Jack Aubry in an emailed statement.
So there we have it, the feds will charge the GST/HST on the carbon tax.
Don’t tell that to Justin Trudeau who is unable to admit this under questioning in the House of Commons.
Trudeau can’t answer.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer tried to pin Trudeau down on this report.
“Can the Prime Minister confirm today, yes or no, if HST and GST will be applied to the carbon tax?” Scheer asked.
Trudeau uttered lots of words but said nothing.
“What we have seen over the past weeks is the Conservatives continue to try and find new angles to muddy the waters on a basic fact. We are choosing to put a price on pollution,” Trudeau said.
The PM also attacked the Conservatives for not having a plan for climate change.
Not once over two questions did he admit that the GST/HST would be charged on top of the carbon tax.
Morneau bobs and weaves.
It wasn’t much different at committee the other day when Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre asked Finance Minister Bill Morneau what charging the GST/HST on the carbon tax would cost the average family.
Morneau didn’t want to touch that.
Morneau would only say that there is will not be a significant increase in GST/HST revenues for the feds but wouldn’t say what it will cost you.
Canadians deserve the truth.
The Parliamentary Budget Office has said that the increased GST revenues for the federal government just from taxing the carbon tax in B.C., Alberta, Ontario and Quebec would be $264 million this year.
That is for just four provinces. It will get bigger across the whole country and as the carbon tax rises.
This carbon tax will be anything but revenue neutral for the feds, or the provinces for that matter.
Despite opposing the carbon tax, Ontario is set to reap a windfall of tens of millions of dollars when the carbon tax is charged.
Canadians deserve to know the full amount that this tax will cost us. Right now, Trudeau is pretending to tell us we will get back more than we pay when he knows this is far from the truth.