New Brunswick Premiere blaine higgs says his government will align the province’s carbon pricing plan with Ottawa’s so-called backstop program.
The move, announced Thursday, will bring New Brunswick in line with the rest of Atlantic Canada.
The decision means the federal government will implement carbon tax and will be responsible for the redistribution of revenue.
Under the federal program, 90 percent of the tax revenue collected would be returned to residents through rebate checks.
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Premier Blaine Higgs issued a statement saying a carbon pricing plan introduced by the province in 2020 would be scrapped after the federal government announced last fall it would begin implementing its program across Atlantic Canada .
As a result, the province will stop collecting the carbon charge, but Higgs said his government remains committed to tax cuts already introduced and funding for climate change initiatives.
Despite the coherence of the schedule, the Progressive Conservative premier couldn’t resist taking a shot in Ottawa.
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“As we’ve said from the beginning, the federal carbon tax has continued to result in higher prices on everything,” the premier said in a statement.
“We are concerned that the tax will continue to have a major impact on individuals, businesses and the economy.”
Higgs said he expects New Brunswick residents to receive rebate checks similar to those sent to PEI and Nova Scotia, which he says amount to $960 and $992, respectively, for a family of four on an annual basis .
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 16, 2023.
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