10 cents a litre break on gas set to expire at end of day on Sept. 7
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Prime Minister Mark Carney probably didn’t think that after suspending the federal excise tax on gasoline, diesel and jet fuel about a month into the start of the United States-Iran war, they would still be at loggerheads six months later and prices at the pumps would still be high.
But the Sept. 8 deadline for the tax, which adds 10 cents to the price of a litre of gasoline and four cents to a litre of diesel, to restart is in sight and pressure is mounting on Carney to either completely rescind the tax or extend the suspension into the new year.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has called on the prime minister to, if not permanently axe the tax, then at the very least suspend reintroducing it until 2027.
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“The suspension, which is due to expire after Sept. 7, brought much-needed relief to people struggling with the rising cost of living and ongoing economic uncertainty caused by U.S. tariffs,” he said in a letter on Aug. 7.
The national average price for a litre of gas including taxes rose to a high in mid-May of $1.98 a litre. Since then, it has come down to $1.70. Excluding taxes, which can vary from province to province, the average price sat at $1.39 per litre on Aug. 11, down from a high of $1.65, according to Kalibrate Technologies Ltd.