WINNIPEG, Man. — The Province of Manitoba has introduced legislation aimed at proving it spends all provincial fuel tax on the province’s roads, highways and transportation systems.

Dubbed the Gas Tax Accountability Act, the bill would: dedicate all provincial road use fuel taxes to roads, highways and transportation systems; guarantee any new share in federal gas taxes for municipalities will be invested in municipal roads, highways and infrastructure; and, ensure the provincial government is accountable each year to Manitobans for all road use fuel taxes collected and invested.

“Transportation infrastructure is extremely important in a province as vast and geographically diverse as Manitoba,” Manitoba’s Finance Minister, Greg Selinger said yesterday. “All governments should be accountable for how they spend the fuel taxes they collect.”

Selinger added Manitoba already spends more on highways than the $200 million it raises inf uel taxes each year, however the new Act will make the province more accountable. He also pointed out Manitoba has one of the lowest provincial fuel taxes in the country 10.9 cents per litre on diesel.

Under the proposed law, the finance minister will have to release an annual report outlining details of the spending of all collected fuel taxes. The report will be released within six months of the fiscal year-end and tabled in the legislature.