B.C. drivers paying highest taxes on gas in Canada, says taxpayer group

A taxpayer advocacy group claims some British Columbians pay the highest taxes on gasoline in Canada.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released its Annual Gas Tax Honesty Report on Thursday. 

The report said Victoria sees the highest prices at the pumps at $1.62 per litre, with 56 cents of the total being tax.  

It said drivers in Metro Vancouver pay the highest gas taxes in the country, paying $1.60 per litre at the pump, including close to 63 cents in municipal, federal and provincial taxes.

Outside of Vancouver and Victoria, the report said British Columbians pay $1.43 per litre, including 49 cents in taxes.

It said that compares with the Canadian average of about 42 cents a litre in total taxes.

B.C. eliminated its carbon tax as of April 1 this year, at the same time Ottawa ditched the federal carbon tax. The province said scrapping the tax would take about 17 cents per litre off the cost of fuel and 15 cents per cubic metre for natural gas on home heating bills.

CTF said Canadians are saving $11.26 on every 64-litre fill up due to the end of the consumer carbon tax.

But it said fuel costs in B.C. are being driven up by a “hidden carbon tax” that is applied to fuel companies, referring to B.C.’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. The program sets requirements for renewable and low-carbon fuels for certain suppliers in B.C.

The program is designed to reduce the province’s reliance on fossil fuels and spur growth in the clean energy industry. It rewards fuel suppliers who meet targets for supplying lower-carbon fuels, while suppliers of high-carbon fuels, like fossil fuels, can be penalized if they don’t meet certain targets. 

“Premier David Eby made the right decision to cancel the consumer carbon tax, but he’s still imposing a backend carbon tax hidden in fuel regulations that costs B.C. drivers an average of 18 cents per litre of gasoline,” said the CTF’s B.C. Director, Carson Binda.

CTF said the gas and diesel price information in the report is based on price information data from Kalibrate, a retail analytics company that sells fuel pricing software for gas-station clients. The data is based on the second week of July 2025. 

CTF is a non-profit that describes itself as a citizen’s group dedicated to lower taxes, less waste and accountable government. The group is currently governed by six-member board and doesn’t disclose its donors.