rick_tj

Hello, and sorry for the all cap subject. I'm writing this morning to ask you all something very important. As some may know, or may not know, we are federally taxed very heavily on gasoline. Heavily as in 38% on average. That's right, we pay 1/3 tax on every litre of gasoline that we pump. The figure changes for each province, Alberta having the smallest tax, and Quebec with the highest.

I urge you today to write your MP and MPP to encourage them to lower gas taxes. We should not ask them to eliminate gas tax, but only to reduce it.

Did you know, that we pay $0.015/litre for a Federal Deficit Tax? Did you also know that the deficit that we're repaying, was also eliminated in 1998? How much money would you have saved, from 1998 until now, saving a penny-and-a-half for each litre you've used since then? Additionally, did you know that we pay tax ON TOP of tax? That's right folks. GST, on gasoline, is calculated after the other taxes (PST and FDT) are calculated in. That my friends, is a slap in the face to every driver across the land. What's worse is our friends out east, who pay a HST, which is another 15 cents per litre.

YOUR elected government is simply doing what is illegal down south, PRICE GOUGING. What's worse is, there's no plan for them to stop this farce of a taxation process. We, as the Canadian public, have a unique situation in front of us currently. The federal goverment is in a minority position in the House of Commons. We can use this to our advantage. This is where democracy rules. If we can even hint to the liberals that scrapping these gas taxes might result in some votes next election, they might actually consider our demands.

Think of the situation this way; you've bought a house. You put a down-payment on it, and you've taken a mortgage out. 7 years down the road, you've successfully paid off your mortgage, but the bank keeps taking your money. Wouldn't you be enraged? This is the same situation, and the time for change is now! Join me, my fellow Canadians, and lets try to at least bring down our gas prices until New Orleans is fully functional again!

Thank you for your time
-Rick, concerned Canadian

ScrappyDoo

iTrader: (7)

You're mistaken if you think the price of gas will decrease with a lower gas tax. The price will reach the same with the Oil companies taking a larger chunk instead. I agree that a gas tax based on a percentage is unfair but then again we do have some of the best maintained roads in the World. (Except the 401 this year)

Time to take a look at alternative fuels and forget this dependance on Oil.

PS: I think a discussion about this stuff is already taking place in a another Gas Price thread.

rick_tj

The point of my thread was not to start another "I pay this much for gas" thread. This was simply a plea to write MPs and MPPs.

Snrub

iTrader: (1)

Lawyer's Spirit's comments are actually backed up by a gov't study. They found that if the taxes were lowered that the oil companies would simply charge the same amount and increase their profits. At least the taxes go to into general tax revenue and road infastructure to a certain detree.

If you drive 20k/year at 20mpg and pay $1/L that means you're paying $2350/year in gas. The gov't is overtaxing you by $35 by their deficit reduction tax. It also means that the gov't is getting around ~$775 in tax from you (using Rick's 1/3 figure). So how much of that do you want to call "overcharge?" Contrast to the thousands of dollars Albertans had taken from them during the start of their electricity privitization and how basically no one complained. Both are energy costs, but the difference was the way in which the money was taken and ignores the fact that one of those costs is spent on you.

dufourmike

iTrader: (1)

I was going to convert my car to run on gin, but my bottle was empty

Wankels-Revenge

Hahaha isn't gin like more expensive per litre?

SophiaCDN

I'm not going to complain about the rise in gas prices. and rise in taxes on gas. If it encourages people to stop wasting gas as much, and helps our environment, then can one really complain? All that the gas prices make me do is want to go out and buy a diesel, in other words, encourage me to look towards alternative/more efficient fuel sources. Basically, the taxes on gas are doing their job.

Also, the deficit might be gone, but we're still sitting on $500 billion of debt... And the average person doesn't pay off their mortgage in seven years, by the way....

88sunlover

I find it interesting that Alberta being the lowest is typically only a few cents (if that) cheaper than Manitoba...


Lowering the taxes will only work if the Gas companies are forced to regulate the price of gas though a Board and gain approval for any and all increases.

What would be nice is that if the Taxes they take from us from Gas revenue would go directly back 100% into Road improvement projects.....then it wouldn't hurt so bad....because high taxes and high vehicle repair bills due to the pot holes does sting a tad bit more....

anthrax

Lets say for the sake of the argument that the Government lowers the Taxes on Gasoline.

Now the Government's revenue is lower, what service do you sugest they cut to make up the difference?

How about Socailized medicine, let Canada go to a Health Care system modeled after the Profit driven American System that treats people based on their ability to pay not on their need.

If you ask me I would gladly pay the gas tax to not have to pay for health care.

The prospect of a profit driven health care system is terrifying if you ask me.

Further cuts to health care is just one example of publicly funded programs that would suffer if the government were to reduce the taxes that are alreday in place.

So make your choises wisely you never know what Government funded program that we all take forgranted every day will be cut just because we wanted to pay less for fuel.

The problem does not lie soley on the Goverment the Oil Companies share the lion's share of the responsability here.

Flames can go to /dev/null

This is not ment to start a flame war just to try and get people to act on higher fuel prices not react to them

soloracer951

* Rant On * I just wish people would stop whining and crying about the price of gas. Just pay the bill and shut up. If you can't afford the gas don't drive. It seems like just because it's oil and gas everyone jumps on the bandwagon. Do any of you know that the price of steel has doubled in the last six months? What do you think that does to the price of things you buy? Why don't you go out and say "stop buying steel products"? People will pay $10 for a pack of smokes and $20 for a case of beer but complain about the price of gas. All this whining and crying about "cutting the taxes" or "make the oil companies pay" is pointless. If you don't like what it costs you should use less. Sometimes I think we're (Canada) the biggest bunch of cry babies who want the government to solve all of our problems. *Rant Off*

88sunlover

Ok....i was fine with everything else....but if you are getting a case of beer for $20 I am very very upset......that's the final straw. Time to invade Alberta.....mount up the troops and overthrow King Ralph and his merry posse of fat rich people.

rx7racerca

iTrader: (1)

I would be somewhat sceptical of a government study which reinforces the status quo, regardless of the issue - just as I would be sceptical of one paid for by a corporation that reinforced a position they have a vested interest in.

As far as electricity privatization in Alberta, people made a lot of noise - enough for the government to pay a bribe, I mean energy rebate of $300 a household - it was an election year after all. The only thing remarkable here is that so many Albertans could be placated by bribing them with their own money, so that while King Ralph received a reduced majority, it was a majority nonetheless. But just like Ontario and the federal Liberals, Albertans can't seem to break their habit of re-electing governments that have performed poorly to be kind, or are flagrantly corrupt and existing mainly to maintain their own power, to be more honest.

WHO

Being taxed on tax is something we're used to in Quebec. The PST is always charged on top of the GST, on all goods not just gas. That's just the way it works and as good canadian citizen we just shut up and take it in the *** like everyone else in this country. We're much too "peaceful" to fight for anything let alone our rights.