For the fifth month in a row, Manitoba has the lowest inflation rate in the country according to the monthly Statistics Canada report.

Finance Minister Adrien Sala attributed much of this to the province’s cut of the
14-cents-a-litre gas tax, putting money back in Manitoban’s pockets and lowering overall inflation in Manitoba.

Manitoba’s consumer inflation accelerated to 1.3 per cent on a year-over-year basis in May after rising by 0.4 per cent in April but remains well below Canada’s inflation rate of 2.9 per cent.

The Manitoba Bureau of Statistics estimates the fuel tax holiday has directly contributed to a decline of 0.4 percentage points to inflation.

Manitoba’s gas tax holiday is also helping to reduce food inflation, which looks at both food purchased from stores and food purchased from restaurants.