Drivers In British Columbia Pay More At The Pumps With New Gas Tax In Effect

The first day of the new carbon tax in British Columbia fuelled plenty of negative reaction at the pumps Tuesday.

The plan will be phased in over five years to allow drivers to understand that there's a cost associated with generating greenhouse gases. The tax works out to an extra 2.4 cents a litre on gas, rising to 7.24 cents per litre by 2012.

In Vancouver, drivers at gas stations were pumped on the plan - and not necessarily in a good way.

Stephanie Bincinto recently moved to B.C. from Quebec for her job as a flight attendant. She said the high price of gasoline helped her make the decision not to buy a vehicle.

She had rented the truck for the day to help her move and said she'll use taxis to get to work.

Bincinto said she figures the rising price of fuel could ultimately put her out of work.
Fuelling up at a west end Vancouver gas station, Dan Bonello said he'd just moved from Sydney, Australia and bought his brother's truck to move up to Whistler.

He said although he was used to high gas prices back home, the increase still hurts.
British Columbians already pay a 3.5-cent-per-litre gasoline tax to help fund transportation projects.

The carbon tax is being billed as revenue neutral, which means the government will not use money generated from the tax to fill its coffers. It is expected to bring in more than $1 billion in revenue that will be returned through income and business tax breaks.

All residents of the province were also expected to receive a $100 Climate Action Dividend, which were sent out in June. The one-time cheque was meant to encourage residents of the province to make environmentally friendly changes in their life.