Vehicle levy could once again be on the table for Metro Vancouver

METRO VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Could a vehicle levy be the way the region can raise money for TransLink?

The minister responsible for the transit authority now says Metro Vancouver mayors would not need a referendum before introducing such a levy.

Minister Peter Fassbender’s statement is quite the turnaround from what had been established in a letter two years ago, making it clear any new tax would have to go to referendum.

Port Coquitlam mayor Greg Moore says this opens up possibilities, given the federal government is expected to announce transit funding in its budget later this month. Mayors are hoping Ottawa will increase its share of transit funding to 50 per cent, and that the province will increase its allotment to 40 per cent.

“That leaves the region with 10 per cent of the capital costs as well as the operating subsidy. We are still trying to figure out how to raise that portion. Fassbender’s statement  will help us with the discussion.”

Moore admits vehicle levies have been proposed in the past.

“Over the years, mayors have been in favour of a vehicle levy. It was the provincial government, both NDP and Liberal governments, that have turned the idea down when it got to their desks.”

The short-lived plans of the past may be due to public response. Suggestions of a levy that would be between $75 and $122 a year have resulted in outcries from motorists.

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