No matter where I go, I hear about the rising cost of almost everything.
I see it firsthand as my favourite grocery store items have become much more expensive. Across B.C., due to failed NDP policies, we are seeing this horrendous crisis of unaffordability take hold.
With inflation soaring to a 40-year high, David Eby and the NDP continue to support the carbon tax and other taxes that make life no longer affordable. Under David Eby and the NDP, British Columbians are paying an extra 18 cents a litre at the pumps because of this year's carbon tax increase.
However, it doesn't end there. The Carbon Tax doesn't just make gas more expensive; it makes everything more expensive. From the food we grow to the transportation to stocking the shelves — this tax raises the cost of everything and makes life unaffordable.
To those who say this cost is menial, I note that more than half of British Columbians say they are $200 away or less from not being able to meet all their financial obligations at month's end.
We are among the worst in Canada for this statistic. British Columbians simply cannot afford the carbon tax. Let's not forget that here in rural B.C., everything must be transported and that adds massive costs.
Even when you think of our incredible vendors at our amazing farmers' markets, we must also grapple with the high cost of fuels and supplies. No one and no sector is immune to this added tax that negatively impacts the people of Cariboo Chilcotin and residents across British Columbia.
It has further become a major stumbling block for our industrial sectors in both small and large businesses, which, of course, is also passed on through the products and commodities they create.
A shocking example of this is the staggering amount of carbon tax you will see compared to the actual commodity on your monthly Fortis bill. Sadly, the proceeds of this carbon tax don't even accomplish what we were told it was intended to, as we continue to see emissions in our province rise.
With the scheduled carbon tax increases, by 2030, an average family of four will have paid about $27,000 in accumulative carbon tax. This is unaffordable. Eliminating the carbon tax will put about $3.5 billion back into the pockets of B.C. citizens. It is time for change and common sense solutions that put money back in the pockets of all British Columbians.
A Conservative government will axe the carbon tax entirely.
