Saskatchewan's EV task is stupid.

Well, technically it likely isn't stupid so much as petty and vindictive. But, if they wish to claim it is neither petty nor vindictive then it is in fact stupid.

Firstly, they ARE right. EV owners should also be contributing to infrastructure. At least, in the long term. But, there are MUCH better ways of achieving this.

Many nations impose taxes on vehicle owners to support infrastructure. So, in that sense this isn't necessarily unprecedented. But, the 2 things to consider are that A) virtually all such countries are exempting EVs from those taxes to encourage adoption and B) nowhere else in Canada is there currently a tax applied in this fashion to the end owner of a consumer vehicle.

So, yeah, this is basically taking a model used elsewhere, turning it around, and flipping the bird to anyone with any sense of environmental consciousness. 

The other questionable thing about this is that normal ICE vehicles remain taxed at the pump. Or, put another, they are taxed based on use. Therefor a low income family can indirectly curb their taxes by driving less, or by driving a more fuel efficient vehicle.

And that latter point is the real rub; let's say you can't afford to decrease your driving. So, you instead buy a more fuel efficient vehicle. You are contributing no less to infrastructure demands. But you are now paying less in tax. At the same time, you theoretically have the ability to control how much tax you pay by limiting excess mileage. BUT, if you were to switch to an EV you would lose all control.

This tax creates two classes of tax payers. I'm interested to see if this will result in any legal challenges.

The other thing about this is that is of course retroactive. Which, with only 400 registered vehicles is, to put it simply, "a real dick move".

How might Saskatchewan have managed to tax EV's without being clearly vindictive, climate-denying sacks of shit?

Simple. Tax everyone. It would have actually be quite progressive to acknowledge that increased fuel efficiency for cars and EVs puts an increasing strain on fuel taxes to support infrastructure. So, removing that tax at the pump and shifting everyone to a tax based on vehicle registration would have been fair.

Not ready for that much revolution? Add a tax to vehicle purchases upfront. It wouldn't be retroactive then and buyers could decide if the extra cost was prohibitive. This would still be somewhat of a dick move. But, at least you aren't seen as being a total a-hole by catching existing owners off guard.

@ $150 a year, they could assume something like a 10yr average life and slap an extra $1500 on the purchase price. When you're staring down the barrel of a $45k+ vehicle, it is a little easier to overlook $1500. 

And, due to accidents and gradual wear and tear over time a lot of those vehicles won't be on the road for 10+ years. So, it ends up being a greater benefit to the Province. 

However, perhaps even more realistic is just taxing people directly. If the argument is that EVs have an impact on infrastructure, then I would argue that even people without cars have an impact on infrastructure. Even if you walk everywhere. You need food and utilities. And those require other people drive goods or labourers around which impacts roads and other infrastructure. And spreading it out more indiscriminately  would make it overall more affordable for everyone while providing the government with a more continuous flow of revenue to support that sector.