Gas tax holiday could see extension

Manitobans have been saving money at the pumps since the beginning of the year, and there’s a chance those savings will continue even longer.

The provincial government suspended the 14-cent-a-litre gas tax on Jan. 1 to help Manitobans deal with inflation. The tax break was only supposed to run for six months; however, the province extended it until the end of September.

“Even though inflation has cooled in our province, I think the average Manitoban probably still feels the cost of living is a big challenge because interest rates are still high, because other costs are still high,” Premier Wab Kinew told reporters Monday. “So that’s definitely what we’re going to be looking at as we approach September 30.”

According to the Fuel Tax Amendment Act, the government has the power to keep the cut in place until the end of the calendar year.

The NDP government has previously credited the tax break for keeping Manitoba’s inflation rate down. According to Statistics Canada, the province’s inflation rate in May was 1.3 per cent – the lowest in Canada for the fifth consecutive month.