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OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) – Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem admitted that Trudeau’s carbon tax is responsible for 16% of Canada’s current inflation rate.
On October 30, Macklem told the House of Commons finance committee that eliminating the carbon tax would reduce inflation by 0.6%, which is 16% of Canada’s total inflation rate.
“That would create a one-time drop in inflation of 0.6 percentage points,” Macklem told Conservative MP Philip Lawrence, who had questioned the tax’s effect on the economy.
Currently, Canada’s inflation rate is at 3.8% which means that a decrease of 0.6% by eliminating the tax would result in a 16% decrease in the overall inflation.
Lawrence further questioned if eliminating the tax would ease the economic situation, considering it would mean a “sizable drop in inflation.” However, Macklem explained that cutting the tax would only affect inflation for one year.
“It would be helpful if monetary and fiscal policy was rowing in the same direction,” he added, explaining that government spending has made keeping interest rates steady a difficult task.
“Any standard economic textbook will tell you if you cut government spending that will tend to slow growth, raise the unemployment rate, and reduce inflation,” Macklem explained.
In September, Macklem admitted that food costs are of particular concern as “[m]eat’s up six percent, bread’s up 13 percent, coffee’s up eight percent, baby food’s up nine percent. If you look at food overall it is up nine percent.”
Macklem revealed at the time that food prices are rising significantly faster than the headline inflation rate – the overall inflation rate in the country – as staple food items are increasing at a rate of 10 percent to 18 percent year-over-year.
To combat this inflation, the Bank of Canada has raised interest rates to 5 percent, the highest benchmark rate in 22 years. Another increase is expected in October.
In addition to deficit spending, others have pointed to the Trudeau government’s ongoing carbon taxes and energy regulations as one of the reasons for the sharp increases in the cost of living.
According to a March report, Trudeau’s carbon tax is costing Canadians hundreds of dollars annually as government rebates remain insufficient to compensate for the increased fuel prices.
Last week, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau suspended his carbon tax on home heating oil, amid rising costs of living and his decreasing popularity across multiple polls.
Under the new regulations, home heating oil is exempted from the carbon tax, while rural residents will receive a 10 percent increase in the carbon tax rebate payments. The increase is set to climb to 20 percent beginning next year.
In March, the Parliamentary Budget Officer calculated the total carbon tax costs for fuel in 2023 minus government rebates. The steepest increase is for Albertans, who will pay an average of $710 extra per household. Following Alberta is Ontario with a $478 increase.
Prince Edward Island households will pay an extra $465, Nova Scotia $431, Saskatchewan $410, Manitoba $386, and Newfoundland and Labrador $347.
The increased costs are only expected to rise as a recent report revealed that a carbon tax of more than $350 per tonne is needed to reach Trudeau’s net-zero goals by 2050.
Currently, Canadians living in provinces under the federal carbon pricing scheme pay $65 per tonne, but the Trudeau government has a goal of $170 per tonne by 2030.
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