Majority of Manitobans want gas tax break to be extended: poll

A new poll by a taxpayer advocacy group shows that the province’s fuel tax holiday is popular with Manitobans and that a majority of residents want it to continue for an additional six months.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released a Leger poll, which found that 77 per cent of Manitobans want to extend the tax break, which removed the 14-cent provincial tax on gas for six months.

“The numbers are clear: more than three-quarters of Manitobans want the government to keep gas more affordable,” said Gage Haubrich, the prairie director for CTF, in a news release.

“Drivers have been saving money at the pumps for almost two months and don’t want those savings to disappear.”

The online poll, which surveyed 400 adult Manitoban residents, also asked respondents whether they support getting rid of the fuel tax altogether, with 71 per cent saying they do.

According to the CTF, a two-vehicle family that fills up a sedan once a week and a minivan every two weeks will save at least $342 over the six-month gas tax break. If it’s extended another six months, it will save that family $684.

CTV News Winnipeg reported on Tuesday that the Manitoba government announced that the province has the lowest inflation rate in the country, largely due to the gas tax holiday.

According to Leger, as this was an online poll, no margin of error can be associated with what it calls a non-probability sample.