Promise History
1.03.05 - “[L]ower gasoline taxes by 10 cents a litre […] saving you every time you fill up your car or truck”
05-May-2022
On April 4, 2022, the government proposed legislation that would amend the Gasoline Tax Act and Fuel Tax Act to temporarily cut the gasoline tax by 5.7 cents per litre and the fuel tax by 5.3 cents per litre for six months beginning July 1, 2022. The Tax Relief at the Pumps Act received Royal Assent on April 14, 2022. Since the legislation is a temporary solution to reduce gas prices, the promise is considered partially kept.
“Effective July 1 to December 31, 2022, the gasoline tax rate on unleaded gasoline will decrease from 14.7 cents per litre to 9.0 cents per litre.”
Gas and fuel tax rate decrease
02-Nov-2021
In 2018, Doug Ford promised to cut gas taxes in Ontario by 10 cents. He planned to achieve this by ending the previous Liberal government’s cap-and-trade system, a move meant to lower prices by 4.3 cents. To make up the rest, he also planned to cut the provincial fuel tax by 5.7 cents. The Ford government did end cap-and-trade (see more here), but doing so triggered the federal carbon tax backstop and negated those savings. The government tried fighting it in court, but lost. Meanwhile, the provincial fuel tax rate remains unchanged from 2018. In November 2021, Premier Ford announced that it would meet half of its promise to cut the provincial fuel tax by 5.7 cents before the next budget, set to be delivered before March 2022. He also called on the federal government to match his government’s pledge and said if that happens, he’ll cut the tax “even further.” For this reason, the promise has been reclassified as “in progress.”
“Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government will meet its promise to cut gas prices by 5.7 cents before the next budget. […] He also called on the federal government to match his government’s pledge and said if that happens, he’ll cut the tax ‘even further.’”
Doug Ford says 5.7-cent gas tax cut is coming before next year's budget
25-Mar-2021
In 2018, Doug Ford promised to cut gas taxes in Ontario by 10 cents. He planned to achieve this by ending the previous Liberal government’s cap-and-trade system, a move meant to lower prices by 4.3 cents. To make up the rest, he also planned to cut the provincial fuel tax by 5.7 cents. The Ford government did end cap-and-trade (see more here), but doing so triggered the federal carbon tax backstop and negated those savings. The government tried fighting it in court, but lost. Meanwhile, the provincial fuel tax rate remains unchanged from 2018. The promise is therefore broken.
“Ontario’s environment minister [Jeff Yurek] said that while the provincial government is disappointed in the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the federal carbon pricing legislation, it will respect their decision.”
Supreme Court rules Ottawa's carbon tax is constitutional
20-Jan-2020
“Ontario families and small businesses pay the federal carbon levy. Ontario challenged Ottawa’s authority to impose the carbon levy in court and lost and is now appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada. […] The province is also subject to the output-based system on any facility emitting more than 50,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas each year.”
How carbon pricing works across the country
13-Dec-2019
“The GGPPA [Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act] received Royal Assent on June 21, 2018. It establishes the framework for the federal carbon pollution pricing system. The federal system consists of two main parts, which can apply in whole or in part in a backstop jurisdiction: A regulatory charge on fossil fuels (fuel charge), administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), and; A regulatory trading system for industry, known as the Output-Based Pricing System (OBPS), administered by ECCC through the Output-Based Pricing System Regulations (OBPS Regulations). […] The federal fuel charge came into force: on April 1, 2019 in Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan; on July 1, 2019 in Yukon and Nunavut; and on January 1, 2020 in Alberta.”
Protecting our environment
For The People: A Plan for Ontario
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