THUNDER BAY – The Ontario Government is making a change in how Indigenous people can purchase gasoline.
Effective January 1, 2020, the Ontario Gas Card will be discontinued. Instead, First Nation people will use their federally issued Indian Status card as proof of entitlement to buy tax-exempt gas on reserve, which is more secure.
This change will remove the requirement for First Nation people to use a separate card to prove their entitlement to buy tax-exempt gas, and will also reduce red tape by eliminating the gas card application and renewal process.
It will also benefit on-reserve retailers by decreasing the processing time of refund payments and reducing the number of refund applications that are not able to be processed.
Quick Facts
- First Nation people, band councils, band-empowered entities and tribal councils are entitled to purchase tax-exempt gasoline for their exclusive use from authorized on-reserve gasoline retailers.
- Beginning January 1, 2020 band councils, band-empowered entities and tribal councils will use an Ontario-issued certificate in place of the Ontario Gas Card.