HST Relief On Hydro Bills No Biggie

Canadian Taxpayers Federation Slams Speech From The Throne

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is not impressed with the Wynne government’s promise to cut the 8 per cent HST from electricity bills, as stated in Monday’s Speech From The Throne. “Today’s throne speech provides the government with political relief instead of providing Ontarians with real relief for their hydro rates,” said CTF Ontario Director, Christine Van Geyn. “The government announced a plan to remove provincial HST from hydro bills. But with hydro rates rising an average 8 per cent per year, what is their long term solution? They can’t cut the HST again next year.” It would have been better, says the Federation, to address the root causes of the energy crisis by scrapping the Green Energy Act and cancelling Cap and Trade plans that will add a carbon tax to bills in the new year. The Federation also points out hydro rates in Ontario have climbed 60 per cent higher than the national average over the last ten years.