As Canadians continue to feel pressure at the pumps, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling for expanded and continued relief for high fuel costs. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, CTF Prairie director Gage Haubrich called on the federal government to extend its pause of the fuel excise tax. Haubrich also urged the Government of Saskatchewan to cut the provincial gas tax. “Some people say, ‘Well, gas prices have leveled out a little bit recently,’ but we’ve seen even the past couple of months [that when] something changes in the Middle East, gas prices shoot up again,” he told media. “Now is not the time to raise gas taxes on people just looking to get to work and to everything else important in their lives.” The federal government temporarily suspended the 10 cents per litre excise fuel tax on April 20, effective until Sept. 7. As of Aug. 12, the average price of gas in Saskatchewan was around $1.63 per litre – a major bump from March’s average price of $1.21/l. The provincial gas tax currently stands at 15 cents per litre. Haubrich says cutting it would save Saskatchewan taxpayers about $11 every time they fill up a minivan and about $15 when they fill up a pick-up truck. While he praised the decision to pause the federal gas tax, he said its return would just add more to the costs. “That’s why we’re calling on the prime minister to keep that tax off because [consumers are] still paying too much in gas taxes right now. We don’t want to increase that pain when it gets to September,” he said. The Government of Saskatchewan defended the gas tax, maintaining its long-held position that 100 per cent of the tax goes towards provincial highways and related infrastructure. “The Government of Saskatchewan does not plan to cut the revenues that keep people safe on our roads and allow for the transportation of the exports our economy relies on,” the province said in a statement to CTV News. However, Haubrich argued that there is no legislation that compels revenues raised from fuel taxes to go towards roads since the money goes to a general fund. “I think that the government should always be focused on providing as much affordability as possible. And things like gas tax cuts are really easy because there’s no bureaucratic program involved. People simply just start saving at the pump,” he said. He added that due to higher oil and gas prices, the Government of Saskatchewan will be collecting substantially larger revenues and could use that surplus to provide relief to its citizens. In a statement to CTV News, the Government of Canada said it was committed to making life more affordable for Canadians as well as steeling the economy to global economic shocks. “To do this, we’ve pursued and actioned a bold and collaborative economic plan rooted in long term growth, sustained competitiveness, strong domestic sectors and making Canadians more prosperous,” said John Fragos, press secretary with the Office of the Minister of Finance and National Revenue. The government pointed to affordability measures in the 2025 budget, including the decision to remove the consumer carbon tax – saving Canadians up to 20 cents per litre at the pump. With files from Katy Syrota
