TORONTO, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Ontario Premier Doug Ford to keep his election promise to lower gas prices, after releasing its 23^rd annual Gas Tax Honesty Day Report which shows how much drivers pay in taxes at the pumps. 

“Ford promised voters that he would help make their lives more affordable by reducing the price of gas by 10 cents per litre, but so far the Premier has failed to fully deliver,” said Jay Goldberg, the CTF’s Interim Ontario Director. “Gas tax relief is needed now more than ever to help taxpayers struggling with the Trudeau government’s rising carbon tax costs.”

During the 2018 election, Ford promised to lower gas prices by scrapping Ontario’s cap-and-trade carbon tax and cutting the provincial gas excise tax, which would lower costs by 4.4 cents and 5.6 cents per litre, respectively. Ford scrapped the provincial carbon tax but hasn’t reduced gas taxes.

Fuel taxes make up 38 per cent of the price of fuel in Ontario, according to the CTF’s Gas Tax Honesty Day Report. The federally imposed carbon tax costs Ontario drivers roughly nine cents per litre of gasoline at the pumps.

“Last month, the average price of gas in Ontario was $1.26 per litre, and 47 cents of that was because of taxes,” said Goldberg. “If Ford had kept his promise and reduced gas taxes, the average family filling up their minivan once a week would have saved $655 since the last election.”

• A pre-recorded video for Gas Tax Honest Day can be seen here.
• The CTF’s 2021 Gas Tax Honesty Day Report can be seen here.