KAP Concerned With Manitoba Green Levy

Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) has released statement regarding the Manitoba Green Levy announced Thursday by the provincial government.

 

The Manitoba government will implement a flat $25-per-tonne Green Levy and reduce the PST to six per cent, starting July 1, 2020.

 

The following comments were made by KAP Vice-President Jake Ayre:

 

“KAP members have overwhelmingly called on governments to exempt the costs of heating barns and drying grain from any carbon tax framework, given the fact that farmers must do these things to successfully manage their operations. We have been supportive of the province’s intention to exempt those costs under its provincial levy.

 

We have been supportive of using revenue for on-farm projects that will benefit farmers in their role as environmental stewards. A reduction in the provincial sales tax, however, will not have the same benefit to farmers.

 

We are concerned that a move towards an unclear tax structure at a time when farmers are already dealing with seemingly unprecedented uncertainty across their operations. The administration of a federal-provincial carbon tax structure will create additional red tape when it comes to how farmers interact with government, and we know from our own work that separating the carbon tax charges from natural gas and propane bills is not a straightforward process.”