Nine of 10 York Region residents oppose vehicle registration tax: poll

Regional council wants Toronto's taxing powers

Yorkregion.com
October 2, 2018
Lisa Queen

Not a big surprise but nine out of 10 York Region residents are opposed to regional council’s potential plan of bringing in a vehicle registration tax, a new poll released Oct. 1 shows.

But it’s a sentiment candidates campaigning in the Oct. 22 municipal election should pay attention to, according to the Canadian Automobile Association and the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association, which represents more than 1,100 new car dealers in Ontario.

“The results of this survey send a clear message to candidates across York Region that the prospect of a municipal vehicle registration tax is unpopular with motorists across the region,” Elliott Silverstein, the CAA’s manager of government relations for south central Ontario, said in a statement.

“At an estimated annual cost of $120 per vehicle, this proposal would double a motorist's costs and duplicate the expenses that drivers already pay to the province for a provincially issued license.”

Studies show motorists in the Greater Toronto Area already pay as much as 90 per cent of the costs of roads through fees and gas taxes, Silverstein said.

In the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, road users more than cover the full costs of construction, maintenance and policing, he added.

Regional council is calling on the provincial government to grant it the ability to bring in new taxes, including a vehicle registration tax and a land transfer tax.

Saddled with a $220-million annual shortfall to meet its infrastructure needs, councillors argue they need the same taxing powers as Toronto to raise money to provide services for a growing population.

But new taxes aren’t the answer, Frank Notte, Trillium’s director of government relations, said.

“Too often, the first choice among some politicians is to increase taxes without realizing there is only one taxpayer funding four levels of government,” he said.
“This Nanos Research survey shows the overwhelming majority of York Region residents don’t want new taxes, but a more efficient local government with the will to control municipal expenses and deliver value for money.”

Voters deserve to know if candidates support a vehicle registration tax, Todd Bourgon, Trillium’s executive director, said.

“Candidates running in October’s municipal election should make it crystal clear where they stand on new vehicle taxes before Election Day,” he said.

“Families in York Region deserve to know which candidates support the idea of double taxing a household necessity like the family car before casting their ballot.”

Highlights of the survey include:

• More than eight in 10 York Region residents are unlikely or somewhat unlikely to voter for candidates who favour municipalities having power to implement new taxes;

 

• Forty-three per cent of households in the region have two vehicles, 26 per cent have one, 7 per cent have four and 2 per cent have five.

• Sixty-five per cent don’t intend to buy or lease a car in the next two years;

 

• More than 90 per cent say it’s essential or somewhat essential to have a car;

• Forty-five per cent favour finding efficiencies and 22 per cent favour freezing municipal employees’ salaries over new taxes.