Gasoline among costs that will jump 8% with HST tonight

(Kanata, Ontario) – Norm Sterling, MPP for Carleton-Mississippi Mills reminds his constituents to be sure to fill up their gas tanks tonight before the price of gas jumps 8% with the imposition of McGuinty’s HST at midnight.

The HST is going to hit a lot of Ontarians hard, but few harder than commuters who live outside the city and can’t access public transit to get to and from work.

“If you live in Almonte and work in downtown Ottawa, you probably drive 500 km each week just to go to and from work,” said Mr. Sterling.  “Even in a compact car you’d use about 40 litres of gas per week.  With the price of gas at roughly $1 per litre, you’ll pay an additional $166 per year in HST on the gasoline you need just to get to and from work.”    

“To add insult to injury, the McGuinty Liberal government will be collecting 8% not just on the cost of the gasoline but also on the 14.7 cents tax we already pay to the province for every litre of gasoline,” said Mr. Sterling.  “In other words the McGuinty government is charging tax on a tax!”

And gasoline isn’t only necessity that will be hit by the HST.  The McGuinty Government’s HST will add an 8% tax on a wide variety of goods and services including electricity, home heating fuel, internet services, hair cuts, gym memberships, legal and accounting services, construction and renovations, plumbing and electrical services, landscaping services, leisure activities, hotel rooms, veterinary services and even funeral services.  As a result, starting tomorrow the McGuinty Government will collect an additional $2.2 billion in sales tax per year. 

The Ontario PC Caucus and PC Party leader Tim Hudak did their best to make the McGuinty government see how this tax grab would hurt average Ontarians, but McGuinty refused to listen.    

“I want to thank my constituents who signed and submitted hundreds of pages of petitions opposing the HST,” said Mr. Sterling.  “Unfortunately this McGuinty government doesn’t listen to Ontario residents who are worried about making ends meet.”

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For more information, call Carleton-Mississippi Mills MPP Norm Sterling at: (613) 599-3000