Natural gas bills should drop $30 a month on average without carbon tax, FortisBC says
Elimination of consumer carbon tax will reduce bills by 23 per cent, utility says
People who use natural gas to heat their homes in B.C. should see a savings of 23 per cent, or approximately $30 on average, on their next natural gas bill, a leading provider says.
FortisBC released its estimate Tuesday following a late-night legislative session in Victoria that saw the governing B.C. NDP, with the support of the B.C. Conservatives axe the consumer-facing carbon tax across the province.
The company said that all gas consumed on or after April 1 will no longer have the carbon tax applied.
However, April bills will still have a carbon tax charge for any gas consumed prior to April 1.
"Individual bills and savings will vary based on use," spokesperson Gary Toft said in a statement, noting that revenue from the carbon tax goes directly to the province.
For the average commercial customer, he said, savings should be about $106.42 a month, and for large commercial consumers, it would be approximately $1,234 a month.
The company provides natural gas to approximately 1.1 million customers, Toft said.