The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Proposed legislation was introduced this week which would dedicate all provincial road use gas and diesel taxes to Manitoba roads, highways and transportation systems and any new share of federal fuel taxes to municipal roads, highways and infrastructure. Finance Minister Greg Selinger said, while Manitoba already spends more on roads, highways and transportation infrastructure than the $200 million it raises in fuel taxes each year, the new law would ensure government remains accountable to its citizens into the future. The proposed Gas Tax Accountability Act would: dedicate all provincial road use fuel taxes to roads, highways and transportation systems; guarantee any new share in federal gas taxes for municipalities will be invested in municipal roads, highways and infrastructure; and, ensure the provincial government is accountable annually to Manitobans for all road use fuel taxes collected and invested. "Transportation infrastructure is extremely important in a province as vast and geographically diverse as Manitoba," Selinger said. "All governments should be accountable for how they spend the fuel taxes they collect." Manitoba has one of the lowest provincial gas taxes in the country at 11.5 cents per litre and the second lowest diesel fuel tax at 10.9 cents per litre. The federal government collects the GST and fuel taxes on fuel sold in Manitoba. To ensure this accountability continues into the future, the new law would require the minister of finance to release a report that details the annual spending of fuel taxes. The report would have to be prepared within six months of fiscal year-end and tabled in the legislature.
