Less than two weeks ago, Frank Klees quoted the CTF's Gas Tax Honesty Report in Question Period at Queen's Park, stating that, "the only thing that should surprise Ontarians about Dalton McGuinty is if he doesn’t surprise them with new taxes after every election." Well today, Premier McGuinty's thrice appointed environment commissioner began banging the tax-drums again.

Advocating for "green" road-tolls to syphon money from drivers to public transit  and a carbon tax (ostensibly to syphon money from Ontarians to China and other polluters), the commissioner would seem to be stepping far beyond the appropriate bounds of an officer of Parliament and directly into the sphere of political advoacy. His plan would put in place tolls on roads to achieve two ends:

1. Lower the number of cars on the road by making driving even more unafforable for all but the affluent; and
2. Channel the funds from the shmuks still on the road into public transit.

Ontario drivers will already be paying a full 34% of their pump price in taxes after the HST takes effect on July 1st. Commissioner Miller doesn't think that this is enough, and one has to wondering if Ontario's Environment Minister Gerresten and Premier McGunity agree.

Even if the premier and his environment minister don't nod in agreement with their spokesman commissioner, they would be wise to recognize that drivers have been directly subsidizing public transit for years. Only recently has the federal government made moves to ensure that gas tax dollars are reinvested into roads, but public transit is still massively subsidized by general revenues (which is Latin for: all taxpayers).

By: Derek Fildebrandt
Posted: June 01, 2010
Topic: Federal

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