Although a tax on gasoline attracts the support of a majority of the population of Bas-Saint-Laurent and it would cost motorists half as much, on average, as a $60 increase in the price of their registration, the government categorically refuses to open the law on fuels at the request of regional elected officials.
In a letter dated September 26, the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard, first declined the idea under the pretext that municipalities and MRCs “now have several new tools to diversify their income”.
Seized with “deep disappointment”, the members of the Regional Table of Municipal Elected Officials of Bas-Saint-Laurent and the Bas-Saint-Laurent Transport Authority wanted to explain to the government, in a letter written on Monday, “why [son] orientation seriously deserves to be reviewed. »
The increase in the gas tax receives the support of 60% of the Lower Laurentian population, according to a survey carried out in April by SEGMA Research. This same survey shows that the new power granted to municipalities to increase the tax on registration devolved to public transport – a measure which “proves to be totally inadequate and unpopular” in Bas-Saint-Laurent, according to regional elected officials – “does not only 26% membership. »
A levy of 2 cents on each liter of gasoline sold would cost an average of $25 per vehicle, according to estimates from the Table of Municipal Elected Officials and the Régie du transport du Bas-Saint-Laurent. Meanwhile, an increased registration tax would levy $60 per vehicle annually.
“This state of affairs regarding the fiscal inequity of this measure has also been recognized by representatives of the Ministry of Finance themselves,” recalls the letter sent to the Prime Minister and his Minister of Finance.
Elected officials also contrast the administrative and financial burden of a tax on registration with the simplicity of a tax on gasoline. “The registration tax can meet the needs of certain territories and urban areas,” recognizes the letter from elected officials. However, applying it unilaterally is a denial of recognition of rural and regional realities, particularly the territories served by our Régie [de transport du Bas-Saint-Laurent]. This denial arouses a lot of anger and indignation within our communities! »
Especially since the region has a public transport improvement plan approved by 89% of Lower Laurentians. A majority, or 54%, of people surveyed by SEGMA in the spring indicated that they wanted to change their transportation habits and adopt the improved service planned by their region. This proportion peaked at 26% in 2016.
“The population supports this project, believe the elected officials of Bas-Saint-Laurent, and everything indicates that they are ready to make the transition that we are asking of them. » The government’s refusal, however, compromises the achievement of this transition. “This is a decision with serious consequences,” say the elected officials, “since it takes us back to square one and postpones our project for several years. »
The Montreal region obtained the right to levy a tax on gasoline in 1996 to finance what was, at the time, the Metropolitan Transport Authority (AMT). Since 2012, Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine has also been able to increase the price of a liter of gasoline by one cent to finance its public transportation.
Bas-Saint-Laurent was not alone in asking for the right to tax gasoline. The metropolitan community of Quebec (CMQ) had also studied the idea, but the government recently rejected it even before the CMQ submitted a formal request to Minister Girard’s office.
The mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, publicly railed against a “sham” from the government, emphasizing that municipalities need means to finance their public transport network which is struggling with chronic deficits.