CTF calls on Eby to lower fuel taxes as report finds BCers paying among highest in Canada

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation has released a scathing new report revealing that residents of Vancouver and Victoria pay the highest gas taxes in the country. The 2024 Gas Tax Honesty Report broke down the cost of a litre of fuel in British Columbians, and calculated that the tax alone on a full tank cost the same as a home-cooked meal for a family of four.As a result, the CTF has called on Premier David Eby to give British Columbians a break and cut taxes on fuel, something the majority of residents of the province rely on to work, play, and go about their day to day lives."British Columbians are struggling every time they go to the gas station and the premier needs to do what other provinces are doing and give people a break," CTF BC Director Carson Binda said in a statement Wednesday. "It's unacceptable that British Columbians are paying the highest gas taxes in the country."According to the report, on every litre of gasoline drivers pay between 8.5 and 14.5 cents in provincial excise taxes, 35.6 cents in carbon taxes, and 10 cents in federal excise taxes. In Vancouver and Victoria, additional transit taxes of 18.5 and 5.5 cents, respectively, are levied. This means that during a 64-litre fill-up in Vancouver, the taxes alone come to $52. In Victoria it's slightly less, at $47.50, while in the rest of the province it's $43.60."Politicians from all of our political parties need to come together this election season and promise to cut taxes on essentials like gasoline and home heating," Binda added, noting that contrary to what some have argued, "carbon taxes cause a lot of pocketbook pain for ordinary families without any meaningful environmental gain."During an interview with the Western Standard, Binda was pressed on whether he believed the transit taxes were warranted given Vancouver and Victoria's extensive and heavily-used public transit systems. He argued that while they weren't bad in principle, the way the revenue was being spent needed an overhaul."Translink has been a financial disaster for taxpayers for decades," Binda said. "Famously they lost a referendum when they wanted to impose a tax on normal British Columbians and Metro Vancouver residents; taxpayers rejected that overwhelmingly. For us now to be charged an 18.5 cent fuel tax that goes towards Translink is ridiculous."He described Translink as an "empty bucket," adding, "it doesn't matter how much water you throw in the bucket, it's not gonna stay full for long.""We have seen spending scandal after spending scandal," Binda noted, "so what we need to see from Translink is them tightening their belts and showing the taxpayers that they can be responsible stewards of the public purse before we start giving them any more of their hard-earned money."