When you fill up at the pump and walk away cringing, it could be, in part, due to the various taxes applied to fuel in Canada.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has released its annual Gas Tax Honesty report, which reveals that those filling up in Saskatchewan are paying 15 cents in provincial gas tax, 7 cents in a hidden carbon tax, and 7.7 cents of GST, which equates to about 30 extra cents per litre.

CTF Prairie Director Gage Haubrich says this figure could jump to about 40 cents per litre if Prime Minister Carney chooses to reinstate the federal carbon tax in September.

The CTF is calling on Carney to leave the tax off on September 8th, and on the provincial government to consider lessening or removing the provincial gas tax, as well. He adds that if the government doesn’t want to remove the 15 cent-per-litre gas tax, there are other things it can do to bring some relief instead.

“The Premier can, rightly, talk to the federal government and ask them to not jack their own gas tax back up. We’ve seen Premier Doug Ford in Ontario write a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney saying don’t hike the federal gas tax back up. It would be a real big help to Saskatchewan taxpayers if Premier Scott Moe did the same thing.”

He explains that cutting taxes elsewhere would also relieve some financial pressure for Saskatchewan residents. The 15 cent per litre provincial gas tax in Saskatchewan is higher than in all other western provinces, with Alberta’s coming in at 13 cents per litre, Manitoba’s at 12.5 cents, and British Columbia’s is 14 cents per litre.

Haubrich also adds that Saskatchewan is disproportionately affected by these taxes, as may people drive long distances, and there often isn’t an option to use public transit.