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SMEs in Ontario and three western provinces owed <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n over $2,600-$7,00 in rebates for the past five years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n MONCTON, N.B.:<\/strong> With the recent confirmation from Ottawa that it owes Canada\u2019s small and medium-sized businesses over $2.5 billion in carbon tax (fuel charge) rebates, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is calling on the federal government to immediately disperse the funds equally to all SMEs as it does with the consumer carbon rebate.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n This would result in one-time rebates between $630 and $1,060 in the four Atlantic provinces that came under the carbon tax just eight months ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, the provinces under the federal carbon backstop since the beginning, the rebates would be between $2,600 and $7,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s a big chunk of money that small business owners could really use right now. It\u2019s deeply unfair that five years into the program, Ottawa is still sitting on over $2.5 billion it owes to small firms,\u201d said CFIB Senior Policy Analyst, Frederic Gionet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”126″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”31″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEnough is enough. The government must act now and return the promised carbon tax revenues to all small businesses in the eight provinces under the federal backstop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the 2019-20 and 2023-24 fiscal years, the average rebate amount per business would be $2,500 for all provinces.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate group=”6″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”34″]\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently, the federal government also announced it will cut SME rebates promised to small businesses to 5% from 9% starting in 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRather than viewing small businesses as a partner on climate change, the federal government clearly sees them as the just the source of a big bag of cash to deal with political sensitivities over the carbon tax,\u201d Gionet added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile small firms take no issue with increased rebates for rural residents and Indigenous organizations, it is outrageous that the tiny sliver of rebate revenue aimed at small businesses would be cut nearly in half to pay for it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”105″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n [adrotate banner=”71″]<\/p>\n\n\n\n CFIB continues to call for fairness for small businesses and push the federal government to:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe whole carbon tax system is a giant rip-off and needs to be fixed immediately. Small businesses deserve to be treated fairly,\u201d said Louis-Philippe Gauthier, Atlantic Vice-President. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/td> Amount allocated to SMEs<\/strong> 2019-2024 ($millions)<\/strong> <\/td> Business counts<\/strong> <\/td> Rebate per business<\/strong> <\/td><\/tr> Alberta <\/td> 718.2 <\/td> 175,383 <\/td> $4,095 <\/td><\/tr> Saskatchewan <\/td> 300.6 <\/td> 43,007 <\/td> $6,990 <\/td><\/tr> Manitoba <\/td> 143.9 <\/td> 43,781 <\/td> $3,287 <\/td><\/tr> Ontario <\/td> 1,336.20 <\/td> 506,632 <\/td> $2,637 <\/td><\/tr> New Brunswick <\/td> 17.1 <\/td> 26,468 <\/td> $646 <\/td><\/tr> Nova Scotia <\/td> 28.5 <\/td> 32,419 <\/td> $879 <\/td><\/tr> Prince Edward Island <\/td> 4.4 <\/td> 6,976 <\/td> $631 <\/td><\/tr> Newfoundland and Labrador <\/td> 20.1 <\/td> 19,002 <\/td> $1,058 <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n \n