LETHBRIDGE, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on new Finance Minister Jason Nixon to cut Alberta’s fuel tax immediately.

“Nixon has a chance to start things off right with taxpayers and saving them about $15 every time they fill up at the gas pump would be a great first step,” said Kris Sims, CTF Alberta Director. “Albertans are paying high fuel costs while fighting to afford everything else and it would be wrong to make them wait another month for tax relief at the pumps.”

Alberta’s provincial fuel tax costs drivers 13 cents per litre of gasoline and diesel.

Stopping the provincial fuel tax would save drivers about $10 every time they fill a minivan and about $15 when they fill up a pick-up truck.

Big rig truck drivers would save about $125 every time they fill up their tanks with diesel.

Alberta’s fuel tax relief program adjusts the provincial fuel tax based on the price of oil. Once oil prices are more than $90 USD per barrel, the entire 13 cent per litre fuel tax is suspended. However, if oil prices are less than $80 USD, the entire fuel tax remains in place.

Oil prices are currently at or above $90 USD, but the Alberta government is saying taxpayers have to wait until July for tax relief at the pumps.

“The Alberta government is using the high cost of a barrel of oil as a way to fill in its reckless $9.4 billion in overspending that it delivered in February’s budget, but that was the government’s fault and it’s wrong to punish drivers for the government’s mismanagement,” said Sims. “Nixon should do the right thing and cut the Alberta fuel tax right now.”

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