{"id":604647,"date":"2026-04-15T01:35:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T01:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/604647\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T01:35:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T01:35:26","slug":"alberta-wont-consider-matching-ottawas-summer-fuel-tax-pause-until-june","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/604647\/","title":{"rendered":"Alberta won\u2019t consider matching Ottawa\u2019s summer fuel tax pause until June"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alberta won\u2019t consider following the federal government in pausing fuel taxes for the summer until after the province\u2019s next scheduled review period begins.<\/p>\n

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Ottawa is set to suspend the federal fuel excise tax next week<\/a>, as part of a summer affordability measure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will remove up to $0.10 per liter on gasoline and $0.04 per liter on diesel fuel,\u201d Prime Minister Mark Carney said, adding Ottawa is also pausing the fuel excise tax on aviation fuels.<\/p>\n

The suspension is largely due to the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, with movement of shipments along the Strait of Hormuz have mostly been stalled.<\/p>\n

It will start on April 20 and last until Sept. 7.<\/p>\n

Alberta drivers, however, will have to wait until at least July for the possibility of additional provincial relief.<\/p>\n

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Finance Minister Nate Horner on Tuesday said the UCP government will not change the existing fuel tax relief program to remove the tax sooner \u2014 reiterating his similar response when prices jumped a month ago.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1:40
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAlberta government taking its time considering relief options amid oil volatility\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Alberta\u2019s fuel tax is 13 cents per litre for regular gas, and four cents per litre for marked gasoline and marked diesel.<\/p>\n

Under Alberta\u2019s relief program, quarterly reductions to the provincial fuel tax<\/a> are introduced when West Texas Intermediate crude oil averages at least US$80 per barrel over a set review period.<\/p>\n

WTI has recently been trading around that benchmark for weeks and has at times topped US$100 a barrel, including a month ago when it hit nearly US$120 per barrel.<\/a><\/p>\n

When the price of oil goes up, typically gasoline, diesel and other fuel costs rise, too.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1:11
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCarney says he will temporarily suspend Canada\u2019s fuel excise tax amid Iran war\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Alberta\u2019s next scheduled fuel tax review period is based on the 20 trading days before June 16. Any adjustment resulting from that review would take effect July 1.<\/p>\n

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Get expert insights, Q&A on markets, housing, inflation, and personal finance information delivered to you every Saturday.<\/p>\n

Horner says he supports Ottawa\u2019s move but the province is sticking with its existing fuel tax \u2014 at least until July \u2014 in part because prices are so unpredictable. He added the quarterly review system provides stability and predictability.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes away the defensibility of the program,\u201d Horner said of altering the timing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou build the case in the preceding quarter and then the tax is dealt with in the quarter that follows, and if it comes off, it stays off for the entire quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n

How the relief program works, according to the Alberta government<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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\t\t\tThe fuel tax will be suspended whenever prices are at or above $90A partial fuel tax of 4.5 cents per litre will be applied whenever prices are $85 to $89.99A partial fuel tax of nine cents per litre will be applied whenever prices are $80 to $84.99The fuel tax will be fully reinstated whenever prices fall below $80Fuel tax rates cannot increase by more than nine cents per litre per quarter when oil prices fall<\/p>\n

Advocates for dropping the tax argue governments should move quicker, as drivers face high fuel prices and broader affordability pressures.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernments need to be seen \u2014 of all political stripes, at all levels \u2014 to be doing what they can to mitigate the impact,\u201d said Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy.<\/p>\n

The average gas prices in Canada is currently sitting at $1.73 per litre, down from $1.81 on Thursday, according to CAA.\u00a0\u00a0at $1.80 on Friday, down two cents a litre compared to Thursday.<\/p>\n

The Opposition NDP argues Alberta\u2019s fuel tax, at 13 cents per litre, costs the average family more than $300 a year.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore on Consumer
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\u201cThis isn\u2019t complicated and it isn\u2019t abstract,\u201d said leader Naheed Nenshi.<\/p>\n

The NDP argues dropping the tax is one of the fastest and most direct ways the government can ease pressure not just on household budgets, but also for truckers and other businesses.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s immediate help for commuters, parents, seniors, rural families, truckers, delivery workers, and anyone who relies on their vehicle to get to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a measure entirely in the provincial government\u2019s control, and a simple decision that would make life a little easier for a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1:44
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPremier Danielle Smith says scrapping the fuel tax wouldn\u2019t fully help with high gas prices\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation praised Ottawa\u2019s move.<\/p>\n

\u201cCutting taxes is the fastest, simplest and easiest way for the government to make life more affordable and ease the pain of high gas prices,\u201d said CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano.<\/p>\n

The province introduced its variable fuel tax system in 2022, tying the tax rate to oil prices rather than setting a fixed levy.<\/p>\n

The government has said the approach balances affordability for drivers with the need for stable revenue to fund infrastructure and other priorities.<\/p>\n

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Alberta suspended the fuel tax for six months at the beginning of 2023<\/a> to help residents with costs due to inflation. The discount was extended to the end of that year before being reinstated Jan. 1, 2024, as energy prices softened<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Although Canada is a net oil exporter, domestic fuel prices are tied to global benchmarks and reflect international volatility.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the Canadian oil patch often benefits from higher global prices, which can boost revenues and investment even as consumers face higher costs at the pump.<\/p>\n

The increase also boosts the Alberta government\u2019s bottom line, as resource royalties are a major source of income.<\/p>\n

\u2013with files from Adriana Fallico, Global News<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSoaring gas prices prompt renewed calls for government fuel tax relief\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alberta won\u2019t consider following the federal government in pausing fuel taxes for the summer until after the province\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":595560,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194295],"tags":[207115,7611,49,48,1849,549,228454,134,3241,20739,714],"class_list":{"0":"post-604647","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ottawa","8":"tag-alberta-fuel-tax","9":"tag-alberta-legislature","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-consumer","13":"tag-education","14":"tag-fuel-tax","15":"tag-money","16":"tag-oil","17":"tag-ottawa","18":"tag-politics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=604647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/604647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/595560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=604647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=604647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=604647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}