Moe 'will respond' to CRA, insists Saskatchewan has 'paid in full' amid carbon tax audit

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government 'will respond' to the Canada Revenue Agency when it concludes its audit of the province, but that his position is Saskatchewan doesn't owe Ottawa any money.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says his government "will respond" to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) when it concludes its audit of the province, but that his position is Saskatchewan doesn't owe Ottawa any money.

In an interview on CTV News Channel's Power Play on Tuesday, Moe told host Vassy Kapelos he doesn't believe his government is breaking the law by failing to remit the carbon tax, specifically because the federal government has yet to pass its budget implementation bill.

"We're a long ways from a decision in this," he said. "We will respond to the CRA. Our position is that our taxes are paid in full."

Moe told reporters on Monday the CRA is going to audit Saskatchewan for not remitting the tax on home heating to Ottawa.

"They will ask if they can look at the submissions we've made and for us to submit money they estimate may be owed," he said. "We don't believe there's any dollars that are owed."

Last fall, the premier warned that his province would stop collecting the fuel charge from residents in the new year. Then, in late February, the province announced it would no longer remit the carbon price on natural gas to the CRA.

Moe's decision to stop collecting the fuel charge on energy bills — a move that breaks federal law — came in protest of a heavily criticized decision by the Trudeau government to create a carve-out to the carbon tax for home heating oil, an exemption that largely benefits Atlantic Canadians.