Opposition New Democrats have been roasting the Sask Party government this week over tire recycling fees that are due to go up Dec. 1.
Opposition critic Aleana Young has been firing questions at Minister of Environment Travis Keisig this week over what she characterized as a 30 per cent tax hike.
Keisig instead responded this was not a tax hike, but a fee imposed not by his government but by the Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan. He also noted the fee increase amounted to roughly $1.50 per tire.
“Let’s really clear the record on this,” said Keisig in Question Period Wednesday. “$1.50‑a-tire fee. This is a fee, not a tax, a fee that goes toward the recycling of tires in the province of Saskatchewan. 100 per cent of the fee goes toward the Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan. $1.50 a tire it went up, Mr. Speaker. Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan recommended the fee increase. I support the Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan board, Mr. Speaker. They are in charge of all decisions.”
“Well, we heard it from that minister’s own mouth. He himself did sign off on the 30 per cent fee increase to the purchase of new tires,” Young replied.
Young then claimed that the dollars from the tire recycling fees were “flowing out of province to a California-based company after this government pulled the contract from Shercom,” referring to the tire recycling contract that had been awarded to Crumb Rubber Manufacturing.
She asked Minister Keisig if he would “today pump the brakes on his tired old Sask Party tire tax.”
“Mr. Speaker, the way the member opposite asks questions, I am very proud of this government, and make sure that the NDP do not ever have control over the public purse, Mr. Speaker,” Keisig replied, again saying “it is not a tax; it is a fee.”
After Question Period, Young was beside herself at the responses from Minister Keisig.
“I heard an awful lot of squealing from the minister in Question Period today that this is not a tax, this is a fee. Not sure how well that’s going to go over with Saskatchewan. What is what is not up for debate, it is the fact that on Dec. 1 the Sask Party is going to be increasing the recycling tax on our new tire purchases in Saskatchewan by 30 per cent.”
She blamed the increase on the government’s “wild mismanagement” of tire recycling.
“If TSS wasn’t so deeply in the hole thanks to the Sask Party’s utter mismanagement of tire recycling contracts, we wouldn’t see the government turning around and swatting Saskatchewan drivers with a 30 per cent increase in their tire recycling tax.”
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