Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Justice is taking the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) to court for what it says is an attempt by the federal agency to “garnish” $28 million from the province’s bank account.
The provincial government announced the news in a video posted to social media Thursday that features Justice Minister Bronwyn Eyre leaning heavily on political rhetoric and providing few specifics.
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Justice would not provide copies of the application and the federal court has yet to make the documents available online.
The move is an escalation in the dispute between the two levels of government over the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act (GGPPA), a federal law that requires provinces to collect the federal carbon tax.
Premier Scott Moe announced last year that SaskEnergy, the provincial natural gas utility, would stop collecting the tax starting Jan. 1, 2024.
The way it’s set up it sure looks like Saskatchewan is still technically collecting the tax and just paying the amount right back from their own budget. And Saskatchewan citizens are still getting the carbon payouts from Ottawa.
Saskatchewan citizens will still have to pay for Moe’s stupidity, but the deficit will be in the Saskatchewan budget, not an individual extra tax bill.
Mainly means that Moe will just continue to destroy Education and Healthcare, which was his main goal anyway.
