{"id":572089,"date":"2026-03-31T03:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/572089\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:36:11","slug":"drivers-frustrated-with-rising-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/572089\/","title":{"rendered":"Drivers frustrated with rising costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canadians are feeling the pinch as the global conflict in the Middle East and seasonal changes prompt rising gas prices. John Vennavally-Rao reports. <\/p>\n

TORONTO \u2014 Will Hueyen says normally, $50 is enough to fill the tank of his compact car. But as he fuelled up at a downtown Toronto gas station Monday afternoon, he said it now costs more than that, and it hurts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too expensive. I don\u2019t like it,\u201d Hueyen said. \u201cI plan to change to an electric car now.\u201d<\/p>\n

With prices at $1.72 per litre \u2013 and much higher in some Canadian cities \u2013 he isn\u2019t alone in his frustration. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have nothing to do with the war, but we\u2019re paying for it,\u201d said another motorist as he refuelled. \u201cIt\u2019s painful.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the war in Iran enters its fifth week, the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent global oil prices soaring, leaving Canadian motorists to endure higher costs at the pump.<\/p>\n

\"\"Gas prices Canada today Will Hueyen fills up his compact car in downtown Toronto on March 30, 2026. He says $50 could fill up his vehicle, but no more. (CTV News) Pressure mounts for tax relief<\/p>\n

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is renewing calls for federal and provincial governments to provide relief. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe least they could do would be just temporarily suspend their fuel taxes,\u201d said Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the CTF. Ideally, he\u2019d like to see those tax cuts be permanent. <\/p>\n

According to the group, total taxes on gasoline \u2013 including federal excise taxes, provincial levies and GST \u2013 can reach nearly 65 cents per litre in some Canadian cities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many Canadians out there who were already struggling, and now that you see these gas prices soaring, it\u2019s making life more expensive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Canada gas prices today The price of gas at a downtown Toronto service station on March 30, 2026. (CTV News) International response<\/p>\n

While Canada has maintained its current tax structure, other nations are moving to insulate citizens from some of the price shock:<\/p>\n

Italy: The government implemented emergency tax-relief measures, including a 20-day cut to consumer fuel taxes, and offered tax credits to truckers to offset higher diesel costs.Spain, Ireland, and Portugal: All have introduced temporary tax reductions on fuel.Australia: The federal government has slashed fuel and diesel taxes by half for three months. The states of Victoria and Tasmania have made public transit free to reduce demand at the pump.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand the cost pressures for people are very real,\u201d Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said of his country\u2019s intervention.<\/p>\n

\"\"Minister of Finance and National Revenue Francois-Philippe Champagne arrives to a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Sean Kilpatrick Minister of Finance and National Revenue Francois-Philippe Champagne arrives to a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Sean Kilpatrick Ottawa remains non-committal<\/p>\n

When asked if Canada would follow the lead of Australia or Italy, federal Finance Minister Fran\u00e7ois-Philippe Champagne stopped short of promising tax relief.<\/p>\n

Champagne said the government is \u201cfollowing the situation very carefully,\u201d noting that Canada is working with international partners to boost the global oil supply. He pointed to the recent release of strategic petroleum reserves and an increase in domestic oil production as levers currently being used to stabilize the market.<\/p>\n

Terrazzano believes the government should do more. <\/p>\n

\u201cCanadians need help. Canadians need tax relief. We need the federal government and provincial governments to step up, make life more affordable and cut taxes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Canadians are feeling the pinch as the global conflict in the Middle East and seasonal changes prompt rising…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":571982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[712,49,48,44],"class_list":["post-572089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-apple-news","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/571982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}