Electric car owners in Saskatchewan will be seeing a new tax on their cars as of October 1.

$150 per year will be added to the owner's usual taxes.

Owners of these cars don't pay tax towards road maintenance because the provincial fuel tax doesn't apply to them.

According to Moose Jaw resident and electric vehicle owner Reverend Jim Tenford, it is a small amount to pay compared to how much money he saves with having an electric vehicle, and everyone with a vehicle should pay their dues for road maintenance.


However, he says that there's still a downside to the whole announcement.

"It's an issue of timing and perception. Timing because right now when jurisdictions and many other Canadian provinces are doing what they can to incentivize EV ownership, Saskatchewan seems to be taking the other tack and making it cost even more, so that's a little bit of a challenge in my mind. We should be trying to get people out of their gas cars in the long term. As far as perception goes, it really does send a message to Saskatchewan people that fighting climate change just isn't a priority,' says Tenford.

To go along with this point, Tenford says that encouraging people to buy electric cars will save the government money and help move Saskatchewan toward its carbon reduction goals.