Saskatchewan drivers filling up at the pump have a right to know how much taxes are costing them when they pay at the till, according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF).
“Most people have no idea that almost a third of the price they pay at the pump goes straight to government through a whole assortment of taxes,” said Todd MacKay, the CTF’s prairie director. “People can find their income tax hit on their pay stubs and the sale tax hit on their receipts, but fuel taxes are phantoms people can’t nail down. Let’s have gas tax honesty and show people how much tax they’re actually paying at the pump.”
Although most people don’t know it now, the CTF says that in Saskatchewan drivers pay about 30 cents in taxes for every litre they put in the tank.
For Saskatchewan drivers, there’s a number of taxes that are tacked on to every fill, including 10 cents/L federal excise tax, 15 cents/L provincial excise tax and a five per cent federal sales tax.
Unlike Ottawa, Saskatchewan delivers accountability when it comes to the spending side of fuel taxes.
The Fuel Tax Accountability Act makes sure that provincial fuel taxes paid by Saskatchewan drivers go back in to the roads.
In fact, Saskatchewan expects to collect $486 million in fuel taxes this year and projects to spend a total of $791 on the province’s roads.
“Saskatchewan drivers depend on our roads to get to work, go on vacation, and go everywhere in between,” said MacKay. “At least Saskatchewan drivers can rest assured that provincial fuel taxes are being reinvested in our roads.”
– Canadian Taxpayers Federation
