LETHBRIDGE, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is applauding Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew for extending fuel tax relief in his province and urging the Alberta government to follow suit.

“It feels like the Twilight Zone to see the NDP government of Manitoba saving their people 14 cents per litre while Albertans are paying the full fuel tax here at home,” said Kris Sims, CTF Alberta Director. “Albertans just got a double whammy fuel tax hike with a carbon tax hike from Ottawa and a fully reinstated fuel tax from Edmonton.”

On Jan. 1, Kinew fully suspended Manitoba’s provincial fuel tax, saving families about $10 when they fill up their minivan. On Tuesday, Kinew said the fuel tax holiday would be extended for another three months.

In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith fully suspended the provincial fuel tax in December 2022 and kept it in place for a year, saving Albertans about $1 billion. At the time, Smith cited affordability issues and the need to push back on the federal carbon tax as reasons to suspend the Alberta fuel tax.

On Jan.1, the Alberta government partially reinstated the tax back up to nine cents per litre. On April 1, the same day as the carbon tax hike, the Alberta government reinstated its full fuel tax back up to 13 cents per litre of gasoline and diesel.

The Liberal government in Newfoundland and Labrador has partially suspended its fuel tax. Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government has done the same.

During the election, the UCP campaigned on “tax cuts for all Albertans.”

“Albertans are getting a full-strength provincial fuel tax while folks in other provinces are getting relief,” said Sims. “Premier Danielle Smith is rightly defending Albertans against Trudeau’s carbon tax in Ottawa, but the actions don’t match the rhetoric when the UCP government is reimposing the provincial fuel tax at home.”

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