B.C.'s provincial gas tax will increase by 50 per cent on July 1, 2009, to 3.57 cents a litre.B.C.'s provincial gas tax will increase by 50 per cent on July 1, 2009, to 3.57 cents a litre. (CP)

British Columbians will celebrate Canada Day by paying a little more at the pumps.

The national holiday Wednesday marks the first anniversary of the tax, which will increase 50 per cent, adding 1.17 cents to the price of a litre of gas.

The tax was introduced last July 1, originally adding 2.4 cents per litre on gas and other fossil fuels.

Finance Minister Colin Hansen says the tax is part of the B.C. Liberal government's commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions by one-third by 2020.

The tax is set to rise again next year. It was major issue during the recent B.C. election campaign and in the last federal campaign, when then Liberal leader Stéphane Dion proposed a national carbon tariff.

Recent polls have found that while Canadians support fighting global warming, they're split when it comes to paying a carbon tax to battle climate change.