After showing itself “open” to an increase in the gas tax in eastern Quebec in order to finance public transportation, the Legault government finally rejected this option this week. Local elected officials are furious.
“This is unacceptable!” We want to meet the Prime Minister. We don’t have the impression that the regions are respected in this,” thunders the vice-president of the Bas-Saint-Laurent Transport Authority (RTSBL) and prefect of the MRC of La Mitis, Bruno Paradis.
The news came in the form of a letter from Finance Minister Eric Girard on Thursday. “We will not respond to your request to increase the gas tax,” he wrote. To justify his decision, Mr. Girard emphasizes that the MRC du Bas-Saint-Laurent and the City of Rimouski have other financing tools, such as the registration tax.
The president of RTBSL and mayor of Saint-Modeste, Louis-Marie Bastille says that this letter completely “stunned” him. “When you know all the work that was done to get there! “. “We know what our needs are, we have demonstrated them, we have proven them and they come and tell us to our faces that it is out of the question! »
This project has been the subject of discussions for 10 years and has received some popular support. According to a Segma Research survey carried out in May, 60% of people prefer an increase in the gas tax as a means of financing public transportation, compared to 26% for an increase in registration fees.
To raise the gas tax, regional authorities need approval from Quebec’s Minister of Finance. Prime Minister François Legault also said he was “open” to the idea during his visit to Rimouski two weeks ago.
The RTSBL wants to increase the fuel tax by $0.02 per liter in order to raise five million dollars per year. This increase would allow it to add several local public transport circuits at fixed times between cities and MRCs in the region, particularly between Rimouski and Rivière-du-Loup.
Registration, more difficult to manage
Elected officials in the region argue that an increase in the registration tax would be more difficult to manage administratively, because it would require votes in seven different MRCs in addition to Rimouski. They also argue that an increase in the gas tax would be better absorbed by taxpayers. To raise five million dollars, the registration tax would have to be increased from $25 to $63.
“We asked for an increase in the gas tax because it was the most practical, it was administratively easier, it was the easiest to apply and that is what is the most equitable for our citizens,” argues Mr. Paradis. “The Minister of Finance told us that we should not increase the tax burden on citizens, but by telling us “no”, he tripled it! », indignant Louis-Marie Bastille.
Raising the gas tax was nevertheless possible elsewhere in Quebec: Gaspésie did this to finance the public transport services of the Régie intermunicipale de transport Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine (REGIM). In this territory, the increase was one penny per liter.
When Mr. Legault opened the door to doing the same thing in Bas-Saint-Laurent, he also said he was thinking about it for reasons of “equity” with the neighboring region.