Moe 'will respond' to CRA, insists Saskatchewan has 'paid in full' amid carbon tax audit
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government "will respond" to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) when it concludes its audit of the province, but that his position is Saskatchewan doesn't owe Ottawa any money.
In an interview on CTV News Channel's Power Play on Tuesday, Moe told host Vassy Kapelos he doesn't believe his government is breaking the law by failing to remit the carbon tax, specifically because the federal government has yet to pass its budget implementation bill.
"We're a long ways from a decision in this," he said. "We will respond to the CRA. Our position is that our taxes are paid in full."
Moe told reporters on Monday the CRA is going to audit Saskatchewan for not remitting the tax on home heating to Ottawa.
"They will ask if they can look at the submissions we've made and for us to submit money they estimate may be owed," he said. "We don't believe there's any dollars that are owed."
Last fall, the premier warned that his province would stop collecting the fuel charge from residents in the new year. Then, in late February, the province announced it would no longer remit the carbon price on natural gas to the CRA.
Moe's decision to stop collecting the fuel charge on energy bills — a move that breaks federal law — came in protest of a heavily criticized decision by the Trudeau government to create a carve-out to the carbon tax for home heating oil, an exemption that largely benefits Atlantic Canadians.
In his interview, the premier of Saskatchewan said his government's decision to stop remitting the carbon tax on home heating to the CRA is an attempt at "mirroring" the federal government's carve-out for home heating oil.
"Let's remove the carbon tax from whatever heating fuel we might use to heat our homes, wherever we might live," he said. "That seems like the fair and the logical decision for the federal government to make, and I would say this isn't a partisan decision in any way."
"We view it as a decision that's based in fairness," he also said.
On her way into a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, National Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau told reporters she can't comment on specific CRA files, but added there is a process to follow during audits, and the agency will do so.
You can watch Moe's interview on CTV News Channel's Power Play in the video player at the top of this article.
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