CAA onboard to axe vehicle registration tax

THORNHILL, ON , Dec. 9 /CNW/ - CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) applauds the Mayor's plan to repeal the controversial vehicle registration tax which was imposed on Toronto drivers two years ago.

CAA SCO has been opposed to the implementation of the tax since it was first proposed in 2007.

"The vehicle registration tax unfairly penalizes car owners who live in the City of Toronto with an additional $60 fee," said Faye Lyons, Government Relations Specialist, CAA SCO. "The elimination of the unpopular fee will come as relief to over-taxed motorists. Drivers in Ontario already pay over $7 billion to the provincial and federal governments annually."

Before the tax was imposed, CAA SCO conducted an online survey about the proposed revenue tool. Not surprisingly, the majority of CAA members disapproved of the vehicle registration tax.

In fact, 86 per cent felt that is was unfair for the City of Toronto to increase vehicle registration fees to pay for a budget shortfall, and 84 per cent did not believe that increasing the fee was a reasonable way to collect taxes.

Ontario's Transportation Minister has promised to quickly make technical changes to its computer system and paperwork to accommodate the proposed cancellation of the tax. The province collects the vehicle registration fee when drivers renew their license plates.

CAA South Central Ontario is a not-for-profit auto club offering insurance, travel, automotive care and roadside services. There are more than 1.8 million CAA members in South Central Ontario and 5 million members in Canada. We're more than Roadside Assistance. We're Life-side Assistance. Visit www.caasco.com.

For further information:

Media contact: Silvana Aceto, Media and PR Specialist, CAA SCO, [email protected], Office: [phone], Cell: [phone] or Jeff LeMoine, Internal/External PR Specialist, [email protected], Office: [phone], Cell: [phone]

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