Gas tax cut a nice Christmas bonus

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/12/2023 (1008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“I know many families are feeling the impact of rising costs… Starting January 1, you’ll save 14¢/L at the pump whenever you get gas.” — Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, via X

Timing is everything. Smart performers know it. Admittedly, it’s not difficult for Wab Kinew to look like Wab Einstein after the intelligence-absent campaign waged by the Manitoba PCs, delivering a room service victory to Kinew’s NDP. But for a jolly good fellow enjoying a honeymoon, giving Manitobans a hefty tax cut at the pumps, has the feel of a welcome Christmas bonus.

You don’t have to be an economist to know that high transportation costs drive up the price of food. At the Association of Manitoba Municipalities convention at the end of November, the premier put food stores on alert.

“We do expect that grocery chains will pass on the savings to you when we reduce their transportation costs starting on Jan. 1 … if we don’t see those savings materialize, then that’s when we’re going to follow up on those further steps.”

I don’t know if or what the premier can do to pound on the big chains if they don’t prune their prices. But once again, timing is being kind to Kinew. Gas prices are coming down everywhere in North America. As I prepared for this Saturday visit I did my obligatory professional column prep, as always. I got behind the wheel and drove for two minutes and 30 seconds to the closest Domo. It’s the one on Pembina and Grant, next door to my closest Tim Horton’s and Smitty’s. They’re pumping regular at $1.29.

Clip another 14 cents/litre on Jan. 1 and we’re talking about gas prices in Manitoba approaching a buck a litre. You read that right. We’re in the goal crease of just $1/L. Nobody needs to doubt that wholesalers who deliver food to the grocery store chains are suffering much less gas pain than they were only months ago. It would be sensible for them to pass on savings. And I’d be surprised if you aren’t reading columns in this newspaper, in 2024, with charts showing you that the inflation pest is being cornered everywhere. That includes the grocery aisles.

If this column is reading like a Christmas card to the newly installed Manitoba premier, you’re not wrong. But I have to tell you, with so much negative news everywhere you look, it does my Manitoban heart good, to know that at least one politician is spreading good cheer. Let’s make something very plain, very clear. The 14-cent-a-litre discount adds up to an estimated 10 dollar saving on the average fill. If you’re filling up twice a week that’s a thousand-dollar savings over one year.

Yes, the 14-cent discount is appreciated by this Manitoban. It’s not pulling teeth for me to say loudly what many Manitobans are saying silently.

“Thank you, premier.”

Here we are, only eight shopping days away from Christmas. Last year at this time I was certainly not shopping for a change in government on Broadway. Even though I respected Gary Doer, for all those years he ruled the roost, this rooster never voted for him. The Manitoba PCs had my provincial political heart, even during Doer’s days. As you can imagine, voting for the PCs was one giant no brainer for me when Greg Selinger was riding short in the saddle. During the most recent campaign, the PCs did everything they good to put water in my conservative wine. And while my right hand still couldn’t find the letters NDP, I did not vote PC. A year ago I would not have predicted that. It didn’t just surprise. It shocked me, as it did many Manitobans.

Premier Kinew, you have been a very pleasant surprise to many of us. Allow me to plant something in your stocking that will never let you down. Keep the 14-cent-a-litre savings on gas for the rest of your term.

Voters may forget some things. But they’ll never forget the Kinew discount. Here’s wishing you, your government, and your family a Merry Christmas and a happy 2024.

Charles Adler is a longtime political commenter and podcaster.