Canadian Taxpayers Federation calls on province to cut Alberta gas tax

She said what citizens have communicated to the CTF are challenges in applying for the rebate, as well as a hesitancy to provide certain personal information to the government, such as selfies and banking information.

“[The province] should go back to the drawing board and actually enact their own rules. Their own rules stated that if the price of a barrel of oil goes over $80, $85, and then $90 US per barrel for an extended period of time, they’re going to drop the fuel tax down to $0. They didn’t do that,” she said.

She noted that the provincial fuel tax is 13 cents per litre for gasoline and diesel, which is important to eliminate because everything we eat and use is shipped to us by truck.

“We are calling on the Alberta government to say, you know what? You tried, but it doesn’t look like it’s working. The good thing to do is to drop this tax,” she said.

In a statement from the Alberta Ministry of Treasury Board and Finance, Press Secretary Juliana Rodriguez said that after each quarterly review, when the average price of WTI exceeds $90 per barrel, the government brings forward a plan to deliver relief.

“That means either suspending the fuel tax and hoping savings are passed on at the pump or rebating increased oil revenues directly to Albertans. For the quarter beginning on July 1, 2026, Alberta’s government voted to implement the Alberta Energy Rebate, providing a $100 payment that guarantees taxpayer dollars go directly to Albertans pockets – not gas retailers,” Rodriguez said.

“Alberta’s government is ensuring real savings are passed on to Alberta families through this one-time rebate payment so they can benefit from tax-free relief. Alberta’s government will continue monitoring oil prices throughout the current quarterly review period and will determine the best future options to ensure relief reaches Albertans if average oil prices exceed the threshold.”

Federally, the CTF is asking Prime Minister Mark Carney not to increase the excise tax rate on gasoline and diesel.

Back in April, he temporarily set the tax to $0, which is set to come to an end on Sept. 7, 2026.

Sims said Carney did the right thing in April by dropping the tax, but fears gas could get even more expensive after Labour Day.

She added that the CTF is getting tons of emails from people saying they can’t afford the price of food, housing, and fuel.

Sims explained that the CTF did Leger polling, which unveiled that over 70 per cent of Canadians opposed reinstating the tax.

The poll also found 43 per cent strongly oppose a federal excise tax increase, 20 per cent are somewhat opposed, 17 per cent are somewhat supportive, and eight per cent strongly support an increase.

“We’re asking the Prime Minister to hold off. Don’t increase the federal excise tax again and to keep it off completely,” she said.

“Affordability is a major crisis, and people are tapped out. I think Carney’s going to listen because I know for a fact he’s receiving emails and that he reads the polls. I bet within the next week or so they’re going to announce that they’re extending the fuel tax holiday.”

by Ian Gustafson

Canadian Taxpayers Federation calls on province to cut Alberta gas tax

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