TransLink says it is concerned about the federal government’s decision to axe a public transit tax credit that will cost some Metro Vancouver families hundreds of dollars per year.
The decision to do away with the credit came in Wednesday’s federal budget, which also included a pledge to invest $2.2-billion into public transit in the region.
On Thursday, TransLink applauded the funding boost but expressed worries about what the loss of the tax credit will mean for its customer base.
The credit, which came into effect in 2006, allowed transit riders to claim 15 per cent of the cost of their monthly transit passes every year.
"Monthly passes are used on two-thirds of the journeys on our system," TransLink spokesperson Jill Drews told CTV News in an email. "Taking away this tax credit is going to have an impact on many of them."
But monthly pass users are the least likely to stop using transit, Drews added, so the loss of the credit might not drive them to their cars.
It still represents a significant loss, however. TransLink users were receiving rebates of $163.80 for one-zone passes, $223.20 for two-zone passes, and $306.00 for three-zone passes.
“I’m not happy with it. I’ve claimed it for the past four years, and I guess this will be my last year claiming it,” said Richard Erasmus, who commutes to downtown from Langley every day and used the credit to save several hundred dollars annually.
A West Coast Express rider with a monthly pass between Mission and downtown was also eligible for a $604.35 annual rebate.
“People take transit because they can’t afford the parking or the gas or whatever. So they rely on transit and I think Mr. Trudeau kind of forgot about that part of it,” said Erasmus.
