Letters

Don’t tax drivers more

July 11, 2013   ·   0 Comments

Ontario Premier Wynne is considering more taxes for Ontario drivers.
But Ontario drivers already send $10 billion a year to the Province in vehicle and driver-related taxes and fees. However, the province spent only $3.1 billion on highways and transportation expenditures last year. The remaining $6.9 billion went into general revenue.
So is re-investing only 31 per cent of the revenue back into transportation fair? Asking Ontario drivers to pay more in fees and taxes is not reasonable.
Ontario drivers are tired of the high costs of operating a vehicle in this province. Ontario’s 2012 budget increased driver and vehicle fees by $340 million a year, while cutting highway expansion projects by $229 million. Ontarians are paying their fair share of taxes to fund roads and bridges every year, and there are at least 16 different taxes and fees related to owning and operating a vehicle in Ontario.
The Liberals should do the right thing and abandon plans to increase driver and vehicle taxes that families cannot afford to pay. Drivers are not responsible for Ontario’s massive $14 billion deficit and should not be asked to pay more because the government can’t balance the budget. Raising taxes is not the answer to gridlock and infrastructure issues. Better fiscal management and accountability of taxpayer money is the answer.
Joseph Di Federico,
Bolton

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