GuelphToday received the following Letter to the Editor from reader Tasha Heart in regards to the Ontario government's recent decision to scrap licence plate sticker fee:
Removing the licence sticker fee does not strike me as a vote-buying tactic; instead, it strikes me as common sense.
The majority of expired licence plate stickers appear to have occurred in the last two years, with covid blamed on the closure of Service Ontario. The licence plate sticker could be ordered through the Ontario Government's online portal, and the sticker would be mailed to the customer once the fee was paid. The general public has already demonstrated an unwillingness to follow the law and buy the licence plate sticker.
Why keep a paid programme that isn't working when the government has already lost billions of dollars in unpaid licence sticker fees?
In 1992 Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Quebec stopped charging for licence plate stickers, no doubt as it was a loss of revenue. The licence plate sticker is the current licence plate for that year; any vehicle without a current licence plate sticker is unfit and unroadworthy, so obtaining a licence sticker now should necessitate a vehicle safety inspection and proof of insurance.
If an insurance company discovers that a vehicle lacks a current licence plate sticker, they have the legal right to cancel or void the owner's insurance. For example, assume a vehicle has broken taillights, bumpers, side windows, and so on, which are now covered with some material instead of doing a proper repair. Because vehicles must be roadworthy and fit to be on the road to obtain insurance, the insurance will be void in that case.
I have never witnessed the Ontario Government lose finances regardless of who is elected. Money saved by eliminating a payment in one programme will be repaid in a different programme. The cost of a driver's licence in Ontario, for example, is $90.00. There are undoubtedly more licenced drivers than vehicle owners in the province. Following eliminating the licence plate fee, don't be surprised if the Ontario Drivers License fee is raised to $120; the problem has been solved.
Tasha Heart,
Guelph
