12 December 2017 – New Brunswickers will not pay a “direct” carbon tax under the Liberal government’s planned carbon-pricing system, says Environment and Local Government Minister Serge Rousselle. Instead, a portion of the existing gas and fuel taxes will be “repurposed” to finance climate change programs, Rousselle told reporters Tuesday morning. But large industrial emitters in New Brunswick will be subject to a new federal carbon levy that could see them pay more. Among those large emitters is NB Power, meaning ratepayers could see the Crown utility’s carbon levy passed on to them on their electricity bills. The federal government is requiring all provinces to implement carbon-pricing systems by next year to create incentives for consumers and industry to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. Ottawa says it will impose its regime on any province that refuses to set up its own, and will “top up” any provincial plan that doesn’t meet federal standards.
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