News Release - June 13, 2008

VICTORIA - With gas prices skyrocketing, Gordon Campbell's new fuel tax will hit consumers in the pocketbook without providing any real solutions, the New Democrats said today.

"As gas prices continue to climb, more and more people realize that Gordon Campbell's fuel tax is the wrong approach at the wrong time. The new tax is unfair, is hurting consumers and public services, and won't reduce greenhouse gases. It's time for Gordon Campbell to scrap the tax and provide real solutions," said John Horgan, New Democrat energy critic.

"While big oil companies are raking in record profits and gas companies in other provinces have been found guilty of price fixing, ordinary British Columbians are paying through the nose -- whether it's taxi fares, ferry fares, home heating, or airplane tickets. The new tax will hit consumers where it hurts, and for what? Even the Campbell government admits their fuel tax will barely make a dent on greenhouse gas emissions."

Government figures indicate that the fuel tax, set to kick in on July 1, will at best lead to a 2.8-per-cent cut in emissions by 2020. Horgan noted that with current gas price escalations the impact of the fuel tax on changing driving patterns will likely be less than previously thought.

Gas prices have increased by about 30 cents a litre in the four months since Campbell announced his fuel tax back in February, and are projected to surpass $1.50 in the coming weeks.

"If he was serious about fighting climate change, Gordon Campbell would focus on big polluters rather than ordinary consumers, he would make public transit more effective and accessible, and he would roll back transit fare hikes so that people have transportation alternatives," said Shane Simpson, New Democrat environment critic.

Simpson noted that Carole James and the NDP have a Framework for Real Climate Action that outlines a fairer, more effective and more transparent approach than the Campbell government's fuel tax.

"Price hikes are hitting those who can least afford it - the people who can't afford new, fuel-efficient vehicles and who are poorly served by a transit system suffering from years of neglect. What we need to do is make big corporations pay for their pollution while providing tools to help ordinary people cut their fuel use," said Simpson.

"The Campbell government hasn't given any consideration to the fact that local public services like schools and hospitals are going to have to shoulder the cost of the new tax, and will likely have to cut services."

Simpson also noted that Gordon Campbell's fuel tax doesn't take into account regional differences, despite the fact that many people don't have access to public transit, and people in the interior and the north often have to pay a lot more to heat their homes.

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The New Democrat Framework for Real Climate Action is available at http://www.realclimateaction.ca/