Tolls out in BC, vehicle tax in — maybe

VICTORIA — Already grappling with a new "carbon tax" on diesel fuel, B.C. truckers and motorists may soon have to fork over more for vehicle registrations.

According to the Surrey Leader, TransLink — the government agency responsible for the Greater Vancouver Regional District’s (GVRD) major roads, bridges and transit system — is on the hunt for new revenue.

Other options the agency is proposing are new fuel and property taxes, tolls, fare hikes, and real estate development fees. Transportation minister Kevin Falcon says he won’t impose road or bridge tolling to finance TransLink, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of a vehicle levy.

A TransLink report obtained by the newspaper estimates an annual vehicle fee of at least $100 per vehicle would generate $140 million per year.

Falcon likes the idea because it would encourage people to take transit.

Truckers, of course, wouldn’t have that option.

B.C. Trucking Association President Paul Landry is on vacation and unavailable to comment. However, if the vehicle levy would include commercial trucks, there’s little doubt the carrier association would fight hard against it.

The relationship between the BCTA and TransLink has been rocky at best in recent years.

In 2006, BCTA took TransLink to task over a controversial parking tax plan. The agency has also come under fire for not addressing what truckers believe to be inequities between transit and highway funding commitments.