This is exactly how I look at the issue as well. I had a look at my gas usage last year, and on my primary vehicle, I ended up using around 900L of gas. Averaging things out, it worked out to a ~12¢/L savings. It isn't a lot, but I'll gladly take it.
The only insulting part is -- EV owners also get the rebate, and that just makes no sense. It's branded as a fxxking gas rebate, so why is the NDP reimbursing EV owners? (IMO, plug-in hybrid owners should get a smaller rebate, just like how commercial vehicle owners are getting a larger rebate.)
As an additional note, I think Hulk Horgan and the NDP have failed to highlight the important difference between this ICBC rebate VS how the BC Libs used to raid the ICBC bank account to pad up the provincial government's annual fiscal reports. With the BC Libs, it was taking ICBC money to make the provincial numbers look good. With this ICBC rebate, car owners are getting money send back directly into their own pockets. IMO, that is a huge, HUGE difference, but somehow a lot of people don't see it this way.
The missed opportunity (to highlight this difference) is a huge mis-step by the NDP because they are damaging their own brand. The rescue of ICBC from the BC Libs-induced financial dumpster fire was one of the highlight success stories of the NDP government. By allowing people to form the misconception that the NDP is raiding ICBC's coffers just like the Liberals were, they are doing themselves a huge dis-favour.
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Originally Posted by Teriyaki
So how does everyone feel about what Alberta did and drop their tax on fuel? I think it was generally looked at favourbly from a driver's perspective?
If you take the $110 and divide it on a /litre savings basis which was 13 cents in the case of Alberta. That's 110/.13= 846. So we're essentially dropping the tax with a max cap of 846 litres.
If you have a sipper, or reduce your habits and don't use up 846 litres you're technically ahead as you'd have to exceed that amount to reach the same "savings" had you been located next door. You'd get the rebate regardless?
Feel this has the added benefit of reducing the possibility of gas stations just immediately pocketing any drop in fuel tax by increasing the price.
Don't know, just my counter perspective on the knee jerk outrage.
Can't really change the physics of supply and demand. I feel the policy isnt as pathetic as it's made out to be?
Maybe the marketing and PR message should have been structured more positively. Isn't our tax actually less like 10 cents here in BC? Come out and say we're dropping the tax on every drivers tax for the next 1000 litres! To prevent gas stations from purging those savings we'll send drivers a cheque instead of leaving it to the pump price. Shit they should hire me to do this.
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