MPP Arnott opposed to Gas Tax increase

NEWS RELEASE
Ted Arnott, MPP
Wellington-Halton Hills
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2013

MPP Arnott opposed to Gas Tax increase

(Wellington-Halton Hills) – A 5 to 10 cent increase in the gasoline tax to fund transit in Toronto will
not go over well with residents of Wellington-Halton Hills, says Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted
Arnott.

“People in Wellington-Halton Hills are not going to be happy if they have to pay a substantial
increase in gas prices to pay for Toronto’s public transit,” said Mr. Arnott.

Mr. Arnott’s comments came after the December 12 release of the Golden Report, which
recommended raising the gasoline tax by 5 to 10 cents per litre. This would result in a tax increase
from 14.7 cents to 19.7 to 24.7 cents per litre, a rise of as much as 70%.

In September, Premier Kathleen Wynne appointed Anne Golden to head a new advisory panel to
review Metrolinx’s investment strategy and to come up with a series of recommendations to fund
transit expansion in Toronto.

The report also suggested that an increase in the gasoline tax could be paired with a 0.5% increase
in the HST.

“Most people who live in our Riding don’t use public transit in Toronto very often,” Mr. Arnott pointed
out. “Why should they be expected to pay higher taxes for a service they will hardly ever use?”

This is yet another example of the Liberals tax and spend agenda, noted Mr. Arnott.

“Every time the Liberals get an idea, their first reaction is to raise taxes,” Mr. Arnott argued. “They
already take in about $2.4 billion through the gas tax. We’ve said time and time again, that this
Government doesn’t have a revenue problem – they have a spending problem.”

“We haven’t forgotten that this is the same Liberal Government that just wasted $1.1 billion to cancel
two gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga,” he added.

Mr. Arnott pointed out that at the end of the day, an increase in the gasoline tax will do damage to a
still uncertain Ontario economy.

“Many Ontario families are already struggling to make ends meet. How much more does Kathleen
Wynne think that Ontarians can afford to pay?” asked Mr. Arnott.

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Ted Arnott, MPP
Phone: 416-325-3880
Email: ted.arnott@pc.ola.org