N.B.s 8-cent carbon surcharge on gas will vanish Dec. 1

New Brunswick·NewNew Brunswick’s eight-cent carbon surcharge on gas will be eliminated Dec. 1, fulfilling a Liberal campaign promise, though increased retailer profit margins may offset some consumer savings. Holt Liberals fulfil campaign promise, call on regulators to ensure gas stations won’t closeJacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Oct 30, 2025 12:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 29 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesNew Brunswick’s eight-cent carbon surcharge on gas will be eliminated Dec. 1, fulfilling a Liberal campaign promise. (Robert Jones/CBC)New Brunswickers will see an eight-cent surcharge on a litre of gas eliminated on Dec. 1 after the Holt Liberal government repeals legislation that created the charge.It fulfils a key promise on affordability that Premier Susan Holt made during last year’s provincial election campaign.“This will save you money at the pumps,” Holt told a news conference, estimating the average household that fills up once a week will save $150 to $200 a yearThe “cost of carbon adjuster” was adopted by the previous Progressive Conservative government.It required the Energy and Utility Board to develop a formula so that the cost to producers of federal clean fuel regulations could be passed down through the pricing system to consumers.The amount this week is 8.24 cents per litre.Retailers say they’ll have to absorb costsGas retailers and wholesales have warned that eliminating the adjuster will mean they’ll have to absorb those costs instead, and this could put some small gas stations in rural areas out of business.But Natural Resources Minister John Herron said Thursday that the Dec. 1 date gives the EUB the time to use the regulatory tools it has to ensure that doesn’t happen.“They need to get at it,” he said.New Brunswickers may not see the full benefit of the repeal.The EUB is also adjusting the allowable profit margins for gas retailers and wholesalers under its regulatory price-setting formula.Those increases could offset some of the savings for consumers but Herron suggested they won’t entirely eliminate them..