Pause the additional carbon tax on fuel, says Cloverdale’s Chamber director.
Scott Wheatley, the executive director of the Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce, thinks pausing the tax could help out immensely in the short term as people face skyrocketing gasoline prices.
“I think the province should pause the additional carbon tax and the feds should reduce floating taxes to a level equal to the average 2021 price per litre,” Wheatley said. “B.C. taxes are all fixed. The feds, though, may be benefiting from the high gas prices.”
Wheatley said other than that, high gasoline prices are linked to long-term problems in B.C.
“We need refining capability to address supply and of course we need to continue to develop greener technology long term, electric cars and trucks, etc.,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to own a big V8 diesel pickup right now.”
After Alberta premier JAson Kenney recently announced that province would temporarily cancel their gasoline tax, Wheatley wanted to find out what Cloverdale Chamber members thought. So he recently surveyed members about whether or not the B.C. government should lower gas taxes and the results surprised him.
“My survey question this week was, ‘Should the provincial government lower taxes on a litre of gas?’” he said. “The results were a lot more one-sided than I thought,” as 97 per cent of respondents favoured reducing gasoline taxes.
Respondents offered a wide range of comments on the issue, Wheatley said.
“The cost of living has skyrocketed! The consumer is left with taxes, taxes and more taxes! This is ridiculous. When will we get a break?” asked one.
Another said, “It’s hurting the middle and lower class citizens the most and this is not right. For some families struggling to ensure their children can do extracurricular activities, the astronomical cost of fuel is adding to that struggle!”
One commented, “It’s already almost impossible to afford living in B.C., this is really putting the nails in the coffin for many people. We are already struggling.”
Another added, “Especially when you have to drive to work, school and kids activities it puts a lot of pressure on every family. Businesses have to keep their crews going - who should pay for that increase in costs?”
And yet another added, “We are over taxed, the government wastes the money, there should be one tax only, and not taxed on everything we do.”
SEE ALSO: Alberta to reduce gas tax, offering $150 rebate on electricity bills
SEE ALSO: ‘No simple solution’ to gas prices; B.C. has no tax reduction plans: Farnworth
Meantime, the City of Surrey is adding more Electric Vehicle Charging stations across the city. They say EV ownership in Surrey has been going up, increasing by more than 2,000 per cent in the last five years from 313 vehicles to 7,354.
The city announced March 10 that 16 more EV charging points will be installed in 2022.
“The City is working towards building the largest public charging network in B.C.,” Mayor Doug McCallum said in a press release about the new charging stations. “It’s a key means of achieving our Climate Action Strategy objectives. In Surrey, passenger vehicles are responsible for 39% of emissions, which is why Council adopted the Electric Vehicle Strategy in 2021 to accelerate and expand EV use in the City.”
Wheatley said he thinks the addition of more charging stations around the city is great news.
“I wonder who is paying for the electricity?” he asked. “I support free EV stations put in by businesses to attract customers. I don’t think the government should supply free electricity. So if there is a charge I support it. If not, I don’t.”
Surrey had six EV charging stations in 2013 and is now at 81 stations. After the current announced expansion, that number will grow to 97.
“Of the existing 81 charging stations, 50 are for public use, 14 are for civic employees and 17 are for the city’s fleet,” the press release noted. (See image for public locations.)
The city also plans to eventually convert its entire city fleet to zero-emission vehicles.
A pdf with information on Surrey’s electric vehicle plans can be found by going to the city’s website and searching, “electric vehicle strategy.”
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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