Drivers being treated like ‘tax-grab ATM’s’

May 16, 2019 | 12:45 PM

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says B.C. drivers are getting hosed at the gas pumps — and politicians have to take some of the blame.

B.C. director Kris Sims says drivers in B.C. fork out five different gas taxes, and six in the Metro Vancouver and Victoria areas.

“B.C. drivers are being taken for a ride by politicians who are using them like tax-grab ATMs,” says Sims in releasing the group’s 21st annual Gas Tax Honesty Day report.

“Metro Vancouver drivers will be paying 54 cents in taxes per litre of gasoline this summer.”

The organization is calling on governments to cut back or eliminate some of those levies

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“The Canadian Taxpayers Federation wants the B.C. government to cancel the carbon tax and reduce the Metro Vancouver TransLink tax to 10 cents per litre. The CTF also wants the federal government to axe the federal excise tax and eliminate the unfair tax-on-tax. These changes would save Metro Vancouver drivers about 27 cents per litre, $20 in savings when filling up a minivan.”

Sims says it costs a extra $35 to fill up a minivan or sedan in Vancouver, compared to in Seattle, with a 50 cent a litre difference.

“Politicians say they care about these record-breaking gasoline prices, while they block pipelines and jack up taxes. British Columbians are planning their summer road trips to places like the Island and up north, and the Kootenays, but with these gas prices they might not be able to afford it,” adds Sims.

The report says Canadians pay an average of 44 cents of tax per litre of gas, with taxes making up 34% of the pump price on average.

You can read the full report on Gas Taxes in Canada click here.

You can find out more about a petition to reduce gas prices in B.C. here.

by Corey Fischer