Tonight, the Conservative Government shut down debate on gas tax legislation and refused to support the Liberal amendment to lower the gas tax.
The Conservative bill will keep the provincial gas tax at its current rate after April 1, despite repeated promises made before the election to lower it. The Liberal Opposition is fighting for an actual cut to the gas tax to provide real relief for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
The Conservatives have refused to support the Liberal amendment or even allow further debate. Instead, they used the extraordinary measure of “closure” to end debate on this important issue.
At the same time, global instability is driving rapidly rising fuel prices. As costs at the pump climb, families and workers across Newfoundland and Labrador are feeling the pressure. In 2022, Premier Wakeham himself acknowledged that it is the Premier who ultimately controls the level of taxation applied to every litre of gasoline sold in the province.
We know that skyrocketing fuel prices are only adding to the already high cost of living. That is why, in June 2022, the Liberal government introduced a reduction in the provincial gas tax to help ease the burden on households and businesses. That relief remains in place today.
The Official Opposition is calling on the Premier to recognize that he now holds the levers of government and has the ability to act. We urge him and the Conservative government to take meaningful action to address rising costs by continuing, and further lowering, the gas tax reduction first introduced by the Liberal government.
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