For this owner of a home heating business, the lifting of the carbon tax is like an early Christmas gift

Adding 17 cents a litre to a bill for home heating oil has been a challenge to business owners likeDerek Skinner, who says he's overjoyed with the federal government's decision to suspend it for the next three years.

"That's pretty good, like Christmas Day," Skinner, the ownerofReliable Fuelsin Portugal Cove-St. Philip's, told CBC News on a job in Mount Pearl on Friday.

"Everybody here in Newfoundland and Labrador gets a break on the fuel, which they should. It was killing our business. Like there's rebates out there for all the electric [heating], there's nothing out there for oil. And now these customers are going to that 17 cents off the price of their home heating oil."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the pauseThursday, saying the move was meant to help Atlantic Canadians with the cost of living. He also unveiledother programs to encourage homeowners to move away from oil heatin favour of heat pumps.

WATCH | This business owner says the carbon tax removal for home heating fuel feels like 'Christmas morning':

Carbon tax removal feels like Christmas morning, says N.L. business owner

1 year ago

Duration 0:58

Derek Skinner Jr. says hearing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announce that home heating fuel would be exempt from the carbon tax for three years was like music to his ears. His business, Reliable Fuels, delivers oil to residential customers who he said were routinely dropping off and switching to other methods.

Skinner said he and his customers werefrustrated with the tax. It often hurt his business when people decided it was too expensive to keep fuelling their homes with oil, he said.

The push for a switch to electric heating hasforced him to prepare to retool his company,he said, but he still expects to be delivering oil in the years to come.

"They want to switch over, but just right now they can't. They don't have the money.So they need more programs and everything to help them, you know, a couple years down the road," Skinner said.

"I think they should give people more time."

The pause was also welcomed byAnthonyReddiganof Mount Pearl. His home is one of over 40,000 in Newfoundland and Labrador heated by oil.

"It's about time," Reddigan said.

"Nothing's going down. It's all going up. So when you see something like this, something actually go the other direction, it's a bit of a relief because you know people are up at night just trying to figure out, what do they pay?How do they get by this year?"

Reddigan says he plans to use the three-year period to switch out his furnace before the tax comes back.

Speaking with reporters= Tuesday, Premier Andrew FureythankedTrudeau for listening to his calls and those of other Atlantic premiers.

He said the province is also continuing to look at ways it can further help residents ahead of Tuesday's fall fiscal update.

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