McNeil: Three Years Later, Power Bills Up 20 Per Cent
Liberal leader Stephen McNeil says power rates are up 20 per cent after three years of inaction from the Dexter government.
“This government’s inaction on the cost of power has driven prices up 20 per cent over their first three years in office,” says McNeil. “We have presented this government with ideas that would reduce power bills, but they have ignored each option and continued to offer only apologies for the power monopoly.”
McNeil says the Dexter’s government actions have resulted in more taxes charged on power bills – something they promised not to do during the 2009 campaign.
McNeil says before the Dexter government came to office, taxes totaled $28 million per year on power bills and now they amount to $40 million per year.
“The only actions taken by this government were to increase the taxes paid on power and to ease mercury emission standards,” says McNeil. “They came to office, removed one tax from power bills and added another, more expensive tax.”
McNeil says the Dexter government’s defense of the power monopoly's guaranteed rate of return is further proof they are out of touch with the concerns of Nova Scotians.
“Only last week the government said that Nova Scotia Power’s guaranteed rate of return is ‘perfectly normal and reasonable,’” says McNeil. “This government is defending the power monopoly's guaranteed rate of return – they need to defend Nova Scotians.”
“This government has spent three years defending the power monopoly and apologizing for NSP’s greed.”
“Liberals want to break NSP’s monopoly, force the new NDP efficiency tax onto NSP shareholders, slash NSP’s rate of return, and force NSP to trim waste internally before looking for rate increases,” says McNeil.
“A Liberal government would stand up to NSP, not behind them.”
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