Fedeli says tax cut on hydro bills too little, too late

The highlight of the throne speech delivered at Queens Park on Monday was a government commitment to remove the 8% provincial portion of the HST on Hydro bills.

However, Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli says it’s too little, too late.

He says people will get a $120 rebate, but points out prices have increased by $550.

The government also indicated rural areas will get a 20 per cent break compared to urban areas.

Fedeli says they should because rural rate payers in Corbeil, for example, have been paying a lot more in recent years that urban rate payers.

He says the urban rate is 18.6 cents per kilowatt hour while their rural counterparts pay 22 cents per kilowatt hour and in low density areas, where there’s fewer people, the rate is 26.5 cents a Kilowatt Hour.

Fedeli suggests the government re-think its decision to privatize hydro one.

He says by not doing that and by going ahead with the sale, hydro bills will increase. Fedeli says that’s what the financial accountability officer has been saying.