by Harvey Oberfeld
August 7, 2023
I have ranted about it for months: how the current BC NDP and federal Liberal governments have ignored the plight, the struggling and the suffering of those who used to be their parties’ primary base … the middle class.
In July 2022, noticing many British Columbians were shopping online during Covid, the province added “the 7% provincial sales tax to “on-line” purchases from companies that sell more than $10,000 worth of goods a year on the Internet.”
That was pretty well ALL of the most popular shopping sites … increasing the BC tax take from shoppers to the tune of an estimated $120 million a year …but hurting those already financially struggling during Covid even more: http://harveyoberfeld.ca/blog/bc-ndp-government-celebrates-canada-day-by-increasing-its-sales-tax-take/.
This past April, both the provincial NDP and federal Liberal governments increased the carbon taxes on gasoline again … in BC from $50 per tonne to $65 a tonne.
“That’s a whopping 30 % INCREASE!!! On top of all the other INCREASES the federal and BC governments have piled on taxpayers over the past two years … despite so many Canadians struggling just to buy groceries, pay their rents (or mortgages), and all their other escalating daily living costs,” I wrote at the time. (http://harveyoberfeld.ca/blog/federal-liberals-and-bc-ndp-stick-it-to-the-middle-class-again/.
And they’re not done with you yet: far from it!
The federal carbon tax rose from $40 per tonne in April 2021 to $50; then this past April to $65 per tonne; and Trudeau/Liberals have scheduled another increase in April 2024 to $80 per tonne … and regularly on and on, reaching $170 per tonne in 2030.
Just think of how those increases will impact your life!
The BC government did issue motorists that piddly $110 gas rebate last year … but have collected back from motorists hundreds of times that since. Low/modest income families also qualified for a Climate Action Tax Credit … but again, the vast majority of taxpayers are still literally being hosed by the BC NDP government and federal Liberal government every time they buy gas.
Now, the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation Thursday laid out in detail, with actual figures, exactly what I have been saying repeatedly on this Blog: British Columbians are being used/abused, paying the HIGHEST gas taxes in Canada … and, I contend, all of North America.
“In a report published Thursday, the Federation said, residents of Vancouver and Victoria are feeling the most pain at the pumps, at least when it comes to taxes. More than 70 cents per litre of the price of gas is taxes,” Global News reported.
More than 70 cents TAXES now on each and every litre of gas!
In Victoria, based on gas at $1.98 per litre, the Federation tax breakdown was: BC Excise tax 14.5 cents; federal excise tax, 10 cents; BC carbon tax 14 cents; federal carbon tax 17 cents; transit tax, .055 cents; and Federal GST 9.3 cents … TOTAL 70.6 cents.
In Vancouver, where the Translink tax is 0.185 cents a litre … the Federation said the total taxes on gas amount to 77.6 cents per litre.
“BC is out of line with the rest of the country and we need Premier David Eby to show the same leadership that the governments of Alberta and Ontario have shown by suspending the provincial portions of their taxes, ” said Carson Binda, CTF BC director.
Amen!
And as the government’s own announced schedule shows, carbon taxes will be going up, up, up even more.
The BC NDP and the federal Liberals of today are no friends to taxpaying working and middle class Canadians who use a vehicle to earn a living or just get their family around.
How did things deteriorate to this extent?
The fault actually lies with us: we suffer, we grumble, but we take it, we absorb it … and then we vote again for those who taxed our lives into lower living standards, and for increasing numbers, misery and suffering!
Why do we do that? Because we fear the other parties will be even worse for middle class, working, taxpaying couples, families, seniors.
But increasingly, I find myself pondering: how could they be?
Happy BC Day.
Harv Oberfeld
