News releases, sound bites and tax hikes don’t make life more affordable. But that’s all Premier Wab Kinew is offering Manitobans.

The Manitoba government just wrapped up the latest sitting of the legislature and bragged about “significant progress on the Manitoba government’s priorities to make life more affordable.”

“Significant progress” is big talk. But how much money does that actually leave in Manitobans’ pockets?

It means Manitobans save $50 on their hydro bills because of a new tax on crypto and data centres. And it means saving $100 annually on PST on ready-to-eat meals and snacks at the grocery store.

About $150 a year is what the Manitoba government calls “significant progress.” That’s a low bar for taxpayers who need more relief.

To those on the financial edge, these changes don’t go far enough.

Manitoban families making $75,000 a year pay about $5,800 a year in provincial taxes. That’s more than anywhere else in Western Canada. About a third of those in Manitoba and Saskatchewan say that they are not confident they could manage an unexpected expense like a vehicle repair or replacement, according to MNP.

The government has two clear ways to deliver meaningful relief: cut the gas tax again and scrap bracket creep.

The Manitoba government charges drivers 12.5 cents per litre every time they fill up at the pump. The price of gas in Manitoba is about $1.70 per litre right now. That’s about 50 cents per litre more expensive than in January.

Alberta, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and the federal government all cut gas taxes to ease the pain at the pump.

“It’s direct relief that will help Albertans keep more of their hard-earned money,” said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

“Now is the time to let Islanders keep their hard-earned money in their pockets,” said P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz. “Gas prices are really affecting families and Island businesses right now.”

“This will provide meaningful relief for families and businesses and help make everyday life more affordable,” said Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne about extending the federal cut.

Kinew already knows gas tax cuts save drivers money. His government suspended Manitoba’s gas tax in 2024.

He also said that his cut was “the most important thing that a provincial government ever did in the history of Manitoba.”

If he cut the gas tax again, a family filling up a pickup truck and a minivan once every two weeks would save about $553 annually.

That’s a couple of trips to the grocery store. That’s a car payment. That’s a good chunk of a month’s rent. It’s not a gimmick. It’s a real way to make life more affordable.

The other way he can deliver on affordability is to stop making life more expensive. Kinew stopped indexing income tax brackets to inflation in 2025. That’s called bracket creep. Bracket creep means a cost-of-living raise can bump you into a higher tax bracket, even though your purchasing power hasn’t increased. You can’t afford to buy more at the grocery store, but bracket creep lets the province to profit from inflation.

A taxpayer who earned $60,000 in 2025 and receives only annual cost-of-living raises will pay about $115 more in income taxes this year because of bracket creep.

If you combine that with the Manitoba government’s reported affordability measures, you are only saving about $35 a year. That barely covers a double-double and a donut a month.

And if the government doesn’t scrap bracket creep soon, then it will cost that same taxpayer making $60,000 a year in 2025, more than $1,000 by 2030.

During that same time, that taxpayer would save about $750 from Kinew’s current list of affordability measures. That’s a $250 net cost.

News releases and gimmicks sound good but don’t make life more affordable for the average Manitoban. Kinew should cut the gas tax and scrap bracket creep so families can keep more of their own money.