OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to cut fuel taxes to save Canadians money at the pumps.

“Carney says he’s looking at how to ‘cushion the blow’ of high fuel prices right now and the fastest, simplest and easiest way for him to do that is to stop charging high gas taxes,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “Politicians in other countries are cutting gas taxes and Carney should follow their lead.”

Carney told reporters he is looking at how to “cushion the blow” that drivers are feeling when they’re filling up their cars at the pumps.

The federal government makes gas more expensive with fuel taxes, sales taxes and fuel regulations.

Federal gas taxes cost about 26 cents per litre of gas at current gas prices.

Provincial governments also impose fuel taxes ranging from 7.5 cents per litre to 19 cents per litre of gas.

The federal government and every province east of Manitoba charge sales taxes on top of other fuel taxes. That means that as the price of gas and fuel taxes increase, the tax-on-tax costs Canadian drivers more money.

Drivers fuelling up in Vancouver, Victoria and Montreal also pay transit taxes at the pumps.

Total taxes in some cities cost up to about 65 cents per litre of gas.

Politicians in Australia, Italy, Spain, Ireland and Portugal cut gas taxes to provide their citizens with relief.

“Drivers are feeling the pain of high gas prices and taxes are making things more expensive,” Terrazzano said. “Carney needs to immediately make life more affordable by ending all carbon taxes, cutting fuel taxes and eliminating tax-on-tax.”