The high price of fuel is hitting consumers and businesses in 91原创, so the Greater 91原创 Chamber of Commerce is calling for a tax holiday to bring costs down.

The Chamber said cutting the federal excise tax, the TransLink fuel tax, and the GST, would reduce the price of fuel by about 29.5 cents per litre.

That would be a savings of about $15 per litre for the average family car.

But it isn鈥檛 just at the pump that the pain is being felt, said Cory Redekop, CEO of the chamber. There are two main ways high fuel prices are impacting the economy, locally and around the world.

The first is the direct costs to businesses, Redekop said.

The cost of fuel is being added to every link in the supply chain, for every good that has to travel to get from producers to retailers to consumers.

鈥淭he thing with fuel is that everyone uses it,鈥� said Redekop.

Businesses are noticing the growth in fuel surcharges on their bills.

Even employees are bringing it up in bargaining and wage talks, Redekop said. Workers in some businesses are arguing against having to drive to more distant sites because it鈥檚 costing them more than just travel time.

The secondary problem is that it local businesses believe the high cost of fuel is beginning to bite into consumer spending.

If a family is paying $100 more a month for gas, that money has to come out of the household budget somewhere else.

Local business owners are anecdotally seeing fewer customers, or lower spending.

Fuel is also a big deal for people because it鈥檚 a psychological reminder, every time they pull in to fill up their tank, of the ongoing inflation that spiked to an annual rate of 7.7 per cent in Canada earlier this year. That鈥檚 the highest inflation has been since 1983.

A gas tax holiday for three to six months would help ease the financial burden on businesses and consumers, Redekop argues.

鈥淛ust to give everyone a break, a breather,鈥� he said.

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The price of gas has come down in recent weeks, after hovering well above $2 a litre for months, it has dropped to $1.99 at most 91原创 gas stations in the last couple of days.

Alberta, Newfoundland, and Ontario have all given consumers relief at the pump to one degree or another.

However, that鈥檚 still higher than normal by a significant amount.

The Greater 91原创 Chamber is reaching out to its sister chambers in B.C., and will try to put together a bit of a network to push for the gas tax holiday, said Redekop.

He also said residents can ask their MLAs and MPs to do something about gas prices.

鈥淥n some of these issues, you need a lot of voices in the choir,鈥� he said.

On Monday, the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses also put out a call for a reduction in fuel costs, aiming it directly at the meeting of Canadian premiers underway in Victoria.