For Immediate Release
30 June, 2023
NL NDP MHA Jordan Brown (Labrador West) is renewing his call to government to help Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with the cost of living by removing the provincial portion of HST applied to home heating energy in the province. This action will bring relief to people trying to heat their homes. Brown had previously called on government to act on these solutions in March, but government lacked the political will.
“Government can help people who are worrying that they won’t be able to afford to heat their homes by removing the provincial taxes applied to energy sales in the province,” said Brown. “Universally applied, this action would benefit every household in the province after years of increasing inflation while wages fail to keep pace.”
The NL NDP called for the removal of HST from home heating as far back as 2011. The 8% of the provincial portion of HST was removed from home heating oil and residential electricity that year, but was re-introduced in the 2015 provincial budget.
“HST removal has been done before and it brought immediate relief to people in this province. No forms had to be submitted, people didn’t have to worry about what happened if their address changed,” said Brown. “While the provincial Liberals present a face of being at odds with their federal cousins over the carbon tax, people in Newfoundland and Labrador are struggling to make ends meet. Residents have not been offered a solution that would bring them relief. So again, we are asking government to take this action.”
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For further information, contact Eddy St. Coeur, Director of Communications, NDP Caucus at 729-2137 (o), or eddystcoeur@gov.nl.ca