Gas taxes here highest in Canada, report finds
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling for relief for motorists who have been slammed with record-high prices at the pumps.
The CTF's 2022 Gas Tax Honesty Report provides a breakdown of the taxes Canadians pay when they fuel up.
Vancouver, where drivers pay the highest gas prices in Canada, pay the highest gas taxes in the country, with 38 per cent of the total bill comprised of taxes.
Based on the $1.98-per-litre average price at the pumps in April, taxes take up 75 cents, said the taxpayers' group. That means a family filling up a 64-litre tank of gas would shell out about $127, with nearly $48 of that in taxes.
“Drivers are fighting to afford to drive to work and high taxes are making it much worse,” said Kris Sims, the federation's B.C. director.
“Politicians in Ottawa and Victoria could make fuel prices more affordable by scrapping some of these taxes.”
In Victoria, taxes make up 35 per cent, while drivers who fuel up elsewhere in the province pay about 33 per cent in taxes. These taxes include carbon taxes, transit tax, federal and provincial excise taxes, as well as a federal sales tax, which the CTF criticized as a tax on tax.
The group projects that by 2030, after further increases in taxes, Vancouver drivers would be paying more than a dollar in taxes, assuming the current pre-tax gas price.
Other provinces have given drivers a break from rising fuel prices.
Alberta has temporarily suspended collecting a 13-cent-per-litre provincial gas tax to help people struggling with high gas prices, while Ontario plans to reduce fuel taxes starting July 1.
In March, B.C. Premier John Horgan announced a one-time $110 ICBC rebate for drivers, but has resisted further calls for relief, including by the Opposition Liberals, to temporarily scrap some gas taxes.
Earlier this week, the B.C. Green party called for free public transit across the province for four months.
Meanwhile, drivers who need to fuel up should hold off until today if they can.
Canadians for Affordable Energy president Dan McTeague, who runs the price predictor website Gas Wizard, said he expects prices to drop today, with prices at Vancouver gas stations forecast to dip 12 cents to $2.15 per litre.