Mark Carney is temporarily suspending the fuel excise tax
From next week until Labour Day, gas prices will decrease by ten cents per litre
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced today that he will temporarily remove the federal excise tax on gas and diesel. Beginning on April 20 and lasting until Labour Day, fuel prices will decrease by ten cents per litre of gasoline and four cents per litre of diesel.
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Carney’s announcement was made shortly after the Liberals secured majority status last night, following three by-election wins in Ontario and Quebec.
The temporary removal of the excise tax is meant to provide relief as gas prices surge due to conflict in the Middle East.
“We all know that because of the war with Iran, fuel prices have increased sharply around the world, including right here in Canada,” Carney said today, according to CBC. “Today’s cut to the fuel excise tax is a responsible temporary measure consistent with what it takes to build a stronger economy, a more affordable economy combined with sound fiscal management.”
A media release published by the government notes that the federal fuel excise tax on aviation fuel will also be paused. Per CBC, the fuel tax holiday is estimated to cost $2.4 billion.
In Toronto, the average gas price today is 176.9 cents per litre.
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Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
