The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Premier Wab Kinew to permanently cut the provincial gas tax after he referred to the previous cut as “the most important thing that a provincial government ever did in the history of Manitoba.”

“Taxpayers agree with Kinew that cutting taxes and saving them money is a very important thing,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. “And it’s even more important when drivers are paying record prices at the pump.

“It’s time for Kinew to bring back the gas tax cut and save Manitoba drivers serious money.”

The price of gasoline in Manitoba has jumped by more than 30 cents per litre since March 1.

The Manitoba government previously cut its provincial gas tax by 14 cents per litre for the entirety of 2024. The government hiked the gas tax to 12.5 cents per litre on Jan. 1, 2025.

A Manitoba family pays about $9 in the provincial gas tax every time they fill up a minivan and about $11 when they fill up a pick-up truck. Over the course of a year, that family will pay about $550 in gas taxes when filling up their vehicles once every two weeks.

Manitoba’s fuel prices were the lowest in the country during the year the fuel tax was cut. The NDP election platform says that the gas tax cut would remain in place “while inflation remains high.”

Manitoba’s inflation was the highest of all provinces in 2025.

Before the gas tax was hiked to 12.5 cents per litre, polling showed that 70 per cent of Manitobans wanted the gas tax to be cut permanently.

“When high gas prices are stretching Manitobans’ wallets, the government shouldn’t be charging taxes on top,” Haubrich said. “With high gas prices, tax hikes and the increasing cost of everything else, Kinew needs to make Manitobans life more affordable by bringing back tax relief at the pumps.”

A Winnipeg family earning $75,000 pays more provincial taxes than a similar family living in Regina, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal.