HAMILTON — Premier Kathleen Wynne says she agrees people who can fork out $1 million for an electric car don’t need to get a rebate from Ontario taxpayers.
The CBC reports that five Ontario drivers who purchased a Porsche Spyder hybrid, which retails for about $1.1 million, got $5,000 rebates from the province’s electric vehicle incentive program last year.
The province also provided similar rebates for dozens of other drivers who purchased a BMW i8 at $362,000 or a Fiskar Karma at $212,000.
READ MORE: Ontario boosts incentives to people who buy electric cars
Wynne says anybody who’s paying that kind of money for a car probably doesn’t need a rebate from taxpayers.
She points out there were few electric cars available when the program was launched in 2010, and says the government has changed the rules so only vehicles that sell for under $150,000 are eligible for a rebate.
The Liberal government announced changes to the rebate program in February, increasing incentives for electric car buyers up to a maximum of $14,000.
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But for higher-end vehicles priced between $75,000 and $150,000, the rebate is capped at $3,000.
Speaking at McMaster University in Hamilton Tuesday, Wynne said the rebates are designed to encourage more development of technologies for electric vehicles, and she wants to have them built in Ontario.
There are currently about 5,800 electric vehicles on Ontario roads.
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