Islanders face mixed emotions as motorists face reality of pumped-up carbon tax

Alexzara Drake-Wood says with the new federal carbon tax in place, she feels little choice but to start shopping around for an electric or hybrid vehicle to save money on her daily half-hour commute to work in Charlottetown.

That's because Canada's carbon tax levied on gas rose 3.3 cents per litre on Monday. The latest increase brings the total carbon tax paid at the pump by motorists up to 17. 6 cents a litre.

"It's not really telling me I have an option," Drake-Wood said. "It's forcing me ... I live half-an-hour out of town. That's a quarter tank of gas a day going back and forth."

Despite protests and pushback from most premiers across the country, the federal government plans to double the tax by 2030 as part of its climate change strategy — saying average Canadians will recover the extra fill-up costs through rebates.

Drake-Wood figures at best, she's breaking even.

"As a family, I know we're not getting ahead," she said. "I think they're just pushing really, really aggressively.

"I think we could've led into this a little slower."

Ottawa says the aim of the tax is to push Canadians to cut back on their carbon emissions, and to save money in the process. Under the federal program, many Canadians receive carbon rebates; the parliamentary budget office estimates 80 per cent of households will get back more cash than they paid extra at the pump.

But the P.E.I. government and most other provinces across the country said now's not the time to increase the carbon tax, with so many Canadians already hurting financially.

"Everything has gotten super expensive lately," said Steven Myers, the Island's environment minister, on Tuesday. "We don't want to have anything more added onto that, until such a time as we can get caught up or things level out somewhat here on P.E.I."

Some economists argue the carbon tax has only a negligible impact on the price of food and other products, and that recent inflation increases are an international phenomenon fuelled mainly by other factors.

But trucking operator Scott Annear, owner of P.E.I.-based Morley Annear Ltd., said as the tax on fuel increases, consumers will ultimately be the ones paying for it.

"If I'm adding a fuel surcharge right now that's supposed to be all on fuel and not my bottom line … that's got to get added to somebody," he said. "Sadly, the end user — people at the stores or building supplies, or whatever materials you're buying — are the ones paying for this tax."

Marlene Kays is among those who have accepted the reality of increased gas costs, even though she's on a tight "senior's budget."