SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. – Islanders were keener than usual to register their cars last week, as the province’s carbon tax rebate program rolled out.
As of Jan. 1, it is free to get a P.E.I. driver’s license or voluntary identification card. Vehicle registration fees are reduced for hybrid and regular cars and free for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The Summerside location of Access P.E.I. was a busy spot Jan. 2 with six booths open and a steady stream of customers.
Nick Ramsay from Summerside said he waited for the new year to renew his registration. Ramsay thinks it’s a good use of the carbon tax.
Kinkora resident Ashley DesRoches didn’t know her registration would be discounted until that day, but the busy mom was happy to hear it.
Trevor Thomas needed to renew the registration on his vehicles anyway.
“I’m lovin’ it. Money in my pocket’s better than theirs.”
-Trevor Thomas
“I’m lovin’ it. Money in my pocket’s better than theirs,” said Thomas. “It’s kind of crazy we have to register the same vehicle every year.”
From Jan. 2-4, Access P.E.I locations provided 1,216 driver's licences, 60 voluntary IDs and over 2,200 motor vehicle registrations, said Katie MacDonald with the department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy.
Those numbers are double what they were for the same three days in 2018 when the department issued 479 driver licences, 19 voluntary IDs and over 1,300 registrations.
The reduced fees are all part of the government’s Nov. 30 promise to return all revenue from the carbon levy on gas and diesel directly back to Islanders.
“We will offset the increase at the pumps by returning revenue to Islanders through incentives encouraging things like transit use and the purchase of electric vehicles and hybrids and reducing the cost of registering vehicles and your driver’s license. It is those operating vehicles that will feel the impact of the carbon levy the most, and we are returning the levy proceeds to these people,” said Finance Minister Heath MacDonald in the November announcement.
