winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Don't get used to it: "Canadians know Harper can't control the global price of gasoline, but they also want to know their governments aren't profiteering from high energy prices. Right now, federal and provincial taxes account for about 38% of the pump price of gas.
Cutting the GST from 7% to 6%, as Harper has promised, will save taxpayers about $220 million in federal gasoline taxes.
But, according to John Williamson of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, eliminating the GST tax on a tax and scrapping the deficit elimination tax would save the public up to $1 billion more in federal gasoline taxes, or about three cents a litre.
That's what Harper could do right now. There are sufficient surplus funds in Ottawa -- money Canadians were overtaxed in the first place -- to cut the GST, provide specific tax relief on gasoline prices and reduce income taxes. "
