Financial Accountability Officer Confirms Skyrocketing Service Fee Increases: Fedeli

QUEEN’S PARK – The Financial Accountability Officer confirmed today that the government is nickel-and-diming the people of Ontario through excessive service fee increases, Nipissing MPP and Finance Critic Vic Fedeli said today.

In the report, the Financial Accountability Officer projected $2.74 billion in revenue from service fees in 2016-17, a 38.7 per cent increase from 2011-12. Over the same period, total provincial taxation revenue increased by 21.5 per cent.

“We know ‘service fee’ is just another name for a ‘tax.’ Because of this government, families are already burdened with the soaring costs of living, including the highest electricity prices in North America,” said Fedeli.

The FAO’s report also noted that the government has refused to disclose data on the significant number of service fee increases, including those in the 2016 Budget. This prompted the FAO to question whether some of the service fee increases were “legally non-compliant.”

“If you drive a car – you’ll pay more. If you heat your home with gas – you’ll pay more. If you camp, fish, or hunt – you’ll pay more,” Fedeli added. 

“Rather than making life more affordable for Ontario families, students, and seniors, this government seems obsessed with finding new revenue to pay for years of waste, mismanagement, and scandal,” concluded Fedeli.

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