New Brunswickers will soon get quarterly rebate cheques since the province has decided to join the federal backstop and dump its own carbon pricing plan.
During a briefing with the media on Thursday, Blaine Higgs said this change in approach will put money into pockets from the federal government at a critical time.
“We know that recently and especially over the last few months, New Brunswickers have been feeling the impact of inflation and are struggling with the higher prices on everything from food to fuel.”
Higgs doesn’t agree with the federal carbon tax but he added there is no room for negotiation with Ottawa.
“Notwithstanding the crisis we’ve seen in Europe, the carbon tax has indeed brought additional costs of everything we buy every day, in addition to our travelling expenses.”
Under the federal backstop, 90 per cent of revenues collected are returned to individuals through rebate cheques determined by the federal government and are based on the amount of carbon tax collected in the province each year.
Although it’s not certain yet how much New Brunswickers will receive, a family of four in Nova Scotia is estimated to receive an annualized amount of $992 in 2023-24 and $960 in Prince Edward Island.
Higgs added he expects the amount in New Brunswick to be close to these amounts.
