Attempts to ease the tax burden on Canadians are proving popular.
An online petition calling for the federal government to remove the goods and services tax on the carbon tax was launched Jan. 4 and by Jan. 7, it had 504 signatures.
"This is the minimum amount (500) of supporters required to ensure that our MP Mel Arnold will be tabling this in the House of Commons shortly after the petition is closed for signatures May 4," said Bob Spiers, a Vernon councillor who authored the petition.
"Most of the supporters are from B.C. but there are signatories from five other provinces and one territory."
B.C. initiated a carbon tax in 2008 and the five per cent federal GST is levied on it.
“We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to eliminate the GST being charged on this or any other future carbon tax enacted by the provinces or territories,” states the petition.
About $63 million was collected in B.C. in 2016.
“Every time you gas up the car, there is GST on the carbon tax,” Spiers has stated.
The petition can be found at https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-713