Hamilton, Ontario — An investigation into license plate refunds indicates that it disproportionately favours Canadians with more than five vehicles, with CTV News reporting that a single person received more than $38,000.
During a press conference Thursday, transportation minister Caroline Mulroney said “there’s very rare cases of people who own a large number of cars, and we are very pleased to have been able to put some much money back into people’s pockets.”
“When this was floated as an idea the government was talking about pocketbook issues,” tweeted opposition member and NDP finance critic, Catherine Fife. “Folks who can afford that many cars don’t have pocketbook issues.”
A breakdown of the data indicates that 7 million drivers in Ontario received a total of $2.24 billion in refunds, with most receiving $1,1000 or less.
While 1.87 million people received between $200 to $300, 21,000 received more than $1,200—the equivalent of five registered cars.
The three largest refunds clocked in around $38,000, $19,000 and $16,000 respectively.
