THUNDER BAY – “The only ‘green’ Dalton McGuinty is truly worried about, is what’s found in your wallet. From his hidden hydro tax to his so-called ‘smart metre’ energy tax grab, to his new secret eco-tax, it is clear that Dalton McGuinty will hide his tax grabs behind hollow environment excuses every chance he gets,” states Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak.
Tim Hudak has called on Dalton McGuinty today to scrap his so-called ‘eco – tax’ and committed that, if the McGuinty Liberals fail to eliminate their latest tax-grab, then a future Ontario PC Government will.
“On July 1st, the McGuinty Government was caught trying to sneak in this latest tax in the shadow of their HST tax grab. The funds are collected and levied by a secretive McGuinty Government agency and are subsequently spent without any meaningful transparency or accountability regarding whether this money actually succeeds in reducing waste or helping the environment,” charges the PC leader.
“The McGuinty Liberals have tried to disguise their latest tax grab as an environmental measure by labelling it an ‘eco-fee’. It is the latest in a growing pattern of Dalton McGuinty using the environment as an excuse for increasing the tax burden on Ontario families,” continues Hudak.
“Today, I am calling on Dalton McGuinty to scrap his eco tax grab before another Ontario parent pays it on bath toys or sunblock for their kids and before another Ontario senior pays it on laundry detergent or batteries for their TV remote”.
Stewardship Ontario, who monitor and administer the fees states, “On July 1, 2010, with the launch of Orange Drop, Ontario became the first province – in fact the first jurisdiction in North America – to have a single program for the management of 22 types of household materials requiring special care. Like it or not, every one of these products has a shelf life – and we all have a role to play in ensuring that they are handled with the care they need when we’re finished with them”.
The fees cover everything from a fire extinguisher to a paint can to a bag from fertilizer. They are applied to batteries, sun-screen and concrete.
Some of the 10,000 items included in eco-tax are:
- Air conditioners
- Lamps
- Smoke alarms
- Car polish
- Calculators
- Lighters and Matches
- Electric razors
- Electric toothbrushes
- Camcorders
- Lock de-icer
- Batteries
- Fire extinguishers
- Paint in an aerosol can
- Tire pressure gauges
- Bath Toys
- Sunblock
- Drywall putty
- Lanterns
- Electric screw-drivers
- Mouse Traps
- Flashlights
- Answering machines
- Laundry Detergent
- Propane BBQ