OAKVILLE, Ont. – Doug Ford says a Progressive Conservative government would cut gas prices by 10 cents a litre in Ontario, including by reducing the gas tax, but he wasn’t clear on how he would replace the lost revenue.
The Tory leader says he would cut the provincial gas tax by 5.7 cents a litre.
He also says he would scrap the province’s cap-and-trade system, which puts a price on carbon and has added 4.3 cents a litre to the price of gasoline.
Cap and trade brought in about $2 billion in revenue last year, and the gas tax brought in about $2.7 billion.
When asked how he would make up for the lost revenue, Ford said when drivers have more money in their pockets they will go out and shop, therefore stimulating the economy.
Municipalities receive a share of the gas tax, but the Tories say in a news release that the communities will not see a corresponding decrease in their transfer payments.