FREDERICTON -- As Maritimers mark July 1 with Canada Day celebrations, New Brunswickers are also marking the beginning of new hikes in HST and power rates.

On July 1, New Brunswick’s harmonized sales tax jumped from 13 to 15 per cent. There was also a 1.63 per cent increase in power rates, which adds up to about four dollars a month for the average New Brunswick family.

Kevin Lacey, the Atlantic Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Association, says the average working family will pay about $440 more annually in taxes because of the HST increase.

"That does not include if you have major purchases, like a car, which would add many more hundreds of dollars to that bill," he said.

The HST increase will mean about $300 million dollars in annual revenue to combat New Brunswick’s growing provincial debt.

Increased power rates will also help NB Power ease its debt load.

The provincial government is offering an HST credit for low and middle-income families to help deal with the increase.

However, New Brunswick isn’t the only province seeing a HST bump today. The HST rate also increased to 15 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador.

With Nova Scotia already at 15 per cent, and PEI at 14 per cent, Atlantic Canada now has the highest sales tax in the country.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown.