Taxation

The trucking industry helps pay to support the roads and bridges that we all need to get to and from work and recreational activities, for emergency and other public services, and to connect BC’s communities. In fact, the industry pays more than its fair share through federal, provincial and municipal taxes and such payments as commercial vehicle licence fees, special weight and dimension permit fees, and others.

BC has enjoyed a number of recent infrastructure investments like improvements to Highway 1 through the Kicking Horse Canyon and in the Lower Mainland and the William R. Bennett Bridge in Kelowna. But, only a portion of the taxes that the industry – and all motorists for that matter – pay to all levels of government find their way back into road infrastructure. No proportion of federal fuel taxes and only a small proportion of provincial fuel taxes is dedicated to road funding.

Trucking companies can pay around $40,000 in taxes and fees each year, per truck, including motor fuel taxes and income taxes paid by the driver and other employees. Different tractor-trailer combinations will, of course, pay different amounts, depending on things like the amount of fuel used.

The following figure shows taxes and fees for an 8-axle Super B-train (a tractor hauling two trailers) in 2015. This fictitious example based on real costs is for a BC-bsed trucking company located in Metro Vancouver.