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Ford government makes gas tax cut permanent, removes 407 East tolls in pre-budget announcement

The 108-kilometre western portion of the highway — from Burlington’s QEW to Brock Road — remains leased under a 99-year deal signed in 1999 by then-premier Mike Harris, a move Ford has called a “big mistake.” Toll rates on that portion can exceed $80 depending on time of day and distance travelled.

Published May 13, 2025 at 3:08pm

Barbara Patrocinio

Ford government makes gas tax cut permanent, removes 407 East tolls in pre-budget announcement

Peter Bethlenfalvy is sworn in as the Minister of Finance during a cabinet swearing-in ceremony in Toronto on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The Ford government is making its gas tax cut permanent and scrapping tolls on the publicly operated section of Highway 407 East as part of its upcoming budget, set to be tabled on Thursday.

This move will cost the provincial treasury more than $1.2 billion a year.

Premier Doug Ford and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy made the announcement in Pickering on Tuesday, confirming that the 5.7-cent-per-litre cut to the provincial gasoline tax — originally introduced in 2022 and extended twice — will now continue indefinitely.

Ford government makes gas tax cut permanent, removes 407 East tolls in pre-budget announcement

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