Furey asks Trudeau to halt carbon tax increase, citing few options for consumers in N.L.

Premier Andrew Furey shared an open letter Tuesday addressed to the prime minister, asking him to pause an upcoming increase to the carbon tax until inflation stabilizes.

Furey wrote the Newfoundland and Labrador government is «deeply invested in environmental sustainability,» but says the tax increase of almost 25 per cent, slated for April 1, will add to residents' financial burdens.

This isn't the first time Furey has asked for the tax to be removed or frozen. He says he doesn't think the tax is the right way to encourage people to choose renewable energy options.

«The issue for this particular tax is there are limited options to change right now in Newfoundland and Labrador,» he said.

The tax is meant to incentivize people to shift from carbon-based to renewable energy options, but Furey argues the province doesn't have the right infrastructure to support that change, such as having limited options for electric vehicles.

«In the absence of the ability to change, what does the tax really accomplish?» Furey told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Other provinces don't have the carbon tax and employ different approaches, he said, adding that the provincial government has indicated its openness to using other strategies that «don't punish people.»

CBC News asked the prime minister's office for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

Furey is the seventh premier calling on Trudeau to halt the increase, joining premiers in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston also sent Trudeau a letter on Tuesday, calling the increase «unfair and misguided.»

What to do instead

The carbon tax is meant as a means of encouraging people away from using fossil fuels.

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