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" cA § s Mr. Hepburn dared any membef| _ 000 apart from road maintenance of the House to say whether he, as and the cost of sérvicing this in: a treasurer of Ontario, would strike creased investment at 3 per centum from the estimates the items '_o! exceeds $3,000,000 annually. I use expenditure for municipal subsidies the term 'investment' advisedly be-- and indigent tubercular care, and| _ cause, in addition to furnishing new as a consequence saddle that addi-- and better highways for the On-- tional burden on those who pay tario motorists and adding to our realty taxes. transportation facilities within the "Answer is 'No'" province, greater encouragement "I say the answer is 'No,' he \2?1: ::ep? .g.":"_"? the tourist trade asserted, "and I doubt if any public-- en,.'It is belfeved, will this year spirited motorist, fully informed of E. :. .4 e « lr':is whole situation, would suggest| | bring business to the Province of + for a moment that to save him this| IO"'""" to an amount which will $ e |' Increase in gasoline tax the province l ?l'_'(:'r:la':ll':'atex;';fid n?;r)gr???sm?n Afuacrfi ©. ® *1* sho withho se benefits thadey s s h MUfl'C'PC'th' *o GO* i::em:'nlnli(m:allidli:";e nn: thfib ;:C::\ | sections .ser\'od by our most ex-- h A *. *o burdened owner of real estate." .Cplle:;.' hlghw?,\';;\'i.sloin]l ar:d:';;)t\izdel MA f manding and joying na $ are, mounting n;fizmo'::'onr:;mfhv h}'l'fonxi:?:-":;-l pr;); services in the way of snow removal * C + Lhe Premier said}."' throughout _ the . entire winter| Meli a Mil Hepburs) | infemain mhonyasdd |meeninine seaaimince % & 9, l are $ & s. ,T e l ' $ L e q |s I ature miles per year, with gasoline con-- | :;;rh,:l(':,(};??: (;,i 'x}.]'f;l:):i':d' Oog dsoel::;n | sumptior} at the rqlo orrnne.gailqn such as the one through which we 'ACT TO BE CHANGED = Ontatic and Quebec would amoun, -- haVe jJust passed. These demands i T I cannot be satisfied withou a0se ACT * to $30 with $35 s"own in British who receive the benefits being pre-- summmmmmmmememsassamme Columbia. pared to bear their share of the Premier Hepburn yvesterday gave "The gasoline tax alone, however, cost. ) Y3 4 formal notice of a two--cent rise in does not disclose the total tax paid "The whole situation resolves it-- the present Ontario gasoline tax of by motorists. Using as an example self into 1his. problem -- as to six cents. a six--cylinder passenger car weigh-- whether Ontario, wedged as it is By budsetary direction, which ing between two and three thousand | into that densely settled section of will~he buttressed by an amendment pounds, in Unlgrno A x'('gl:'s'lratlon the United States, believes it ad-- to the Gasoline Tax Act, the an-- fee of $7 to 310'15 charged, in Que.-- l\'h::hle to construct these highways nounced increase will go into effect bee the fee varies from $21 to $28, which provide transportation facili-- at midnight tonight, March 31. while in British Columbia a flat fee |ties for a population greatly in ex-- All gas sales after that hour will be of $25 is collected. Adding these to | cess of our own, which at the same luhjrert to the new rate. the average gasoline tax flgun.'s | time serve to attract !.hmn Ameri-- Long considered by the govern-- and using 1h_f~ maximum total in |can tourists wh_n (-untn'h'um. ",' the ment, widely forecast by press and each case, it is found that present general prosperity of this jurisdic-- politician _ and bitterly criticized taxation in Ontario on each vehicle tion. | from within Liberal and Opposition is $40 a year, in Quebec it is $58, In Proportion to Use. | ranks alike, this additional impost ; """d in B"""-'h Columbia it is $60. "In order to equalize the increas--| provided the main feature of .\Ir.} Exen this does not ~provide an| ing cost of providing and maintain--| Hepburn's fifth financial presenta-- | accurate picture. The $40 paid by an | ing highways the government has | tion since assuming oi1, as Prime (W.ntax'm motorist makes available to | refrained fr:om m,w thought of in:i Minister and Provincial 'rro:mxror.' him 50,900 miles of surfaced high--| creasing regigtraubn fees but ad-- Even as he was delivering his tell-- | way. 'The Quebec motorist's $58 heres to the bolivv of makinz those | ing policy declaration, law ,.,,.,.k<! gives him access to only 1:..".66 miles who use the roads pay. in pmpof-! 1 were completing the draft of the of surfaced highway, while the tion to the services provided. There--| required law change, and the | British Columbia motorist pays $60 fore, in order to make a proper as--| Treasury Department was keeping . for the use of only 9610 miles of sessment against all who utilize our | the wires hot with ofticial) nnti(ica-l surfaced highway. | highways, the government proposes | tion to all authorized collectors of Most Equitable Means. '10 increase the gasoline tax. | the tax jump decided upon. "It has been the conviction of this| | "The increase in the gasoline tax Mill for Municipalities ' government that the gasoline tax | rate will be from six cents to eight Out of the 56000000 in revenue offered the most equitable means of cents per imperial gallon, and this which this i(lmp. is .pmontiallv cap-- taxation Qf motorists possxhlc. The f (-I.wnge will (-u.x'ne m'!'u effect at mid-- able of prbdu('ing ESI .')f'ONN)----"'I)exng consumption of zqsollnp dopends night, March 31, 19.,9. and al} sales T the Fate of cvrx'e-h;llf 'nf one Thill largely upon the \\'mgh.t of a vehicle made thereafter, will hvo_ subject 19 of the general assessment"--will be 'and the number of miles operated. the new rate., All gasoline tax col-- h&nded over to th. municipalities. Thus those who make greatest use Im't.m.'s under agreement will § be 'riis sum. in siddition to the one | of the roads are also those who use _ | notified by the Department of High-- Tt subsidy which was insugurated tke most gasoline. Registration fees 1 ways by telegram today of the pro-- iwo years .a::n, and which is being o'ftc'r an unequal basis n[.laxatlon. , po:ed changes in _the tax. continued, would, the Prnmin; since they usually take into Eon Out ' of tho. increased revente sfressed, provide a cash contribu-- sideration only the size of a \'olwxple, from the gasoline tax the govern-- tion to the municipalities for the with the result _ that a vehicle, i/ ment proposes to hand apoitdtve year ahead of $4,500,000. And travelling 1,000 miles in a year is n'll.lnlL'lpa]ers' the sum of $1,500,000, IfMat $4,500,000 coupled with the taxed the same amount as a similar being at the rate of one--half of one $2,000,000 that would be required to vehicle opcralt'tj 10'0.00 miles. mill on .the general assessment, i1 1 a4 n & . e meet the full cost of the care of in-- The reduction in registration the same manner as x_he ong-m{ll digent tubercular patients would fees hmu:ht' about some two years subsidy is presently paid. This, in sls 'as § satishtv it --mill subsidy more than absorb the additional agzo was designed to satisfy the de addition to the one--mill subsidy, gasoline revenue. | mand§ of motorists in Northern will proynde a (_'ash contribution to Mr. Hepburn held that the fase» Onl.r.n and some sections of rural the mUII.ICII.)allth.\' of O.ntal'l(') from A § A 4 ho Ontario least served by our good the provincial--treasury in this year line tax offered the most equi'able it £ & means of taxation of motorists pos» roads s.yslen_!. where it was "'a'T"."d the sum of $4,500,000. sible. (He held that increasing do-- such motorists could nnl_y ulilize Advice to Oil Firms. mands for more and better roads the rOBdS.fOI' motor traffic for a "Before I finish df.\'('ll\'."iflj{ this could not be satisfied "without those P e Porloy O Lhe Year AS A -- / item 1 take this opportunity of re-- who receive the benefits being pre-- s ner o bhes: Whe Loader of the _ |ferring to a newspaper campaign| pared to bear their share of the L.ons_en'aln'o Party in t_hn last pro-- conducted by one of the largest oil | €6§t." HMe challenged the accuracy vincial general election -- openly companies in the Province of On--| of a newspaper campaign conducted advocated that in respect to such tario. Passing over some of the by one of the large oil companies cases a part--yearly license fee should _ | statements made, which only tell a against the government's move, and be issued. This government remedied part of the true story, I offer this bluntly advised them that if they fe mhUation by reducing the re&is . [ reply to that refining company and were as solicitous for the welfare tration fees to a nominal amount, to others. Every dollar of gasoline of Ontario motorists as they appear-- which makes for better administra-- tax collected by this province has ed to be they would share their Hion and supervision of the licens-- been handed over to the motorists profits with their customers "by| ing of such cars. ° by way of improved and extended gbsorhing at lcj.ast one--half of this Attraction for Tourists. highways and .maintenance costs inmerease in:tax." --And fo.r the bene-- "This province, because of its and the cost of servicing the high-- fit of the company and its patrons, geographical position and the great way debt of the province. u{lke. he said: | attraction that Ontario holds for "How much of the profits of the "Every dollar of gasoline tax col-- tourists, is in the position of being| |company referred to have been re-- Jected by this province has been compelled to furnish arteries of | turned to the motorist by way of a handed over to the motorists by way ecommunication for the great mo-.' lreduced price--of gasoline and oil? of improved and extended highways toring population of the continent| |And further, if the company re-- and maintenance costs and the cost of North America. Since November ferred to is so solicitous for the wel-- of: servicing the highway debt of 1,'1934, we have constructed high-- fare of motorists, will it share its the province." ways at a cost exceeding $106,000,-- profits with its customers by absorb-- ing at least one--half of this increase in tax? Judging from reports. that I 'have séen in the past of the © c f