BC Premier Horgan says blaming his government for a recent increase to the carbon tax just doesn’t add up. “One cent an increase in gas tax should not translate into a 40 cent increase in a cost of a liter of gasoline.” Opposition Leader Andrew Wilkinson recently used a massive billboard emblazoned with “Blame John Horgan,” paid for by taxpayers through a budgeted Legislative Assembly fund, to go after Horgan. But Wilkinson as usual is out to lunch on this as it is not the BC Carbon tax that is responsible for the gas price hike – it is the greed of oil companies who are gouging drivers and getting politicians to blame each other.
VICTORIA – Instead of regulating the mile high price of gas and still rising like it has been done in other provinces, BC Premier John Horgan announced a call for an independent investigation into the gas gouging while BC drivers get burned by the oil industry.
Horgan is asking the prime minister and the B.C. Utilities Commission to drill down and find out the real reason behind skyrocketing gas prices here.
Horgan says blaming his government for a recent increase to the carbon tax just doesn’t add up.
“One cent an increase in gas tax should not translate into a 40 cent increase in a cost of a liter of gasoline.”
Horgan spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, and asked him to use the pipeline the federal government now owns to send more refined product to B.C. from Alberta, and less diluted bitumen.
“I suggested that he did have room and he wasn’t certain of that and that’s what he’s going to go back and look at. And look, he’s as concerned about the spike as we are here in British Columbia.”
He has also requested the government investigate the root causes of the price increases — for example, whether it is gouging — similar to what he’s asked the provincial regulator to do.
“I wanted to wait until I had spoken to the prime minister before sending a letter to the Utilities Commission, which I did this morning, asking them to a review of the spike in prices, again trying to get a common set of facts.”
Horgan adds Trudeau has agreed to investigate, but said the federal government is constrained by market forces.
Opposition Leader Andrew Wilkinson recently used a massive billboard emblazoned with “Blame John Horgan,” paid for by taxpayers through a budgeted Legislative Assembly fund, to go after Horgan. But Wilkinson as usual is out to lunch on this as it is not the BC Carbon tax that is responsible for the gas price hike – it is the greed of oil companies who are gouging drivers and getting politicians to blame each other.
