Ontario Government to Legislate Lower Gas and Fuel Taxes

The Ontario government is introducing legislation that will temporarily lower gas and fuel taxes. 

On Monday, Premier Doug Ford announced the proposed legislation. If passed, the gas tax will be cut by 5.7 cents a litre and fuel by 5.3 cents a litre for at least six months, starting July 1. The gas tax rate would also be cut by 14.7 cents per litre, with fuel tax rates dropping to 14.3 cents per litre. 

This comes as gas prices in Ontario have been rising due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ford says July is the perfect time to cut gas costs, as people will be driving more for their summer vacations.

“You see the gas price is just skyrocketing, unprecedented prices and it’s about time that the government starts putting money back into the people’s pocket instead of the government’s pocket,” Ford told reporters according to CTV News. 

This announcement follows Ford announcing that 2,600 jobs will be created in Durham region to build a mass amount of electric vehicles. 

This will be the first time Ontario has lowered gas taxes in 30 years. In 2018, Ford promised that he would lower gas prices by 10 cents per litre with a tax cut and the elimination of the cap-and-trade system. Ford got rid of the cap-and-trade when he was elected, and he claims the move reduced the province’s gas prices by 4.3 cents per litre. 

We can’t help but notice that Ford has been speedily implementing some publicly popular policies lately. With the provincial election coming up in June, it’s tough to call it a coincidence.