Calgary 
There is some good news for Albertans today!
Alberta is extending the temporary suspension of 13 percent provincial fuel tax collection on every litre of gasoline or diesel for at least another three months.
The tax relief went into effect in April of this year.
As per the news release, this reduction in GST, amounts to total savings of about $6.80 per tank for a compact car (50 litres), $7.21 for a small SUV (53 litres), $12.65 for a mid-size SUV (93 litres), $18.50 for a large pickup truck (136 litres) and $185.50 for a semi-trailer (1,364 litres).
The government says the collection of the fuel tax will be reviewed on a quarterly basis and provincial fuel tax will be reinstated in stages, only if the average price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil fell below $90 per barrel. For the four-week period ending June 15, WTI averaged $115.88 per barrel.
$150 in GOA Utility Commodity Rebate:
Kenney administration also announced that the electricity rebates detailed in April will be applied to electricity bills starting July.
More than 1.9 million homes, farms and small businesses will receive monthly credits of $50 on their July, August and September electricity bills, for a total of $150 in rebates.
As per the news release, eligible Albertans can expect to see an automatic $50 rebate on their bills as a line item titled “GOA Utility Commodity Rebate” and no application or other action is needed from residents to start receiving the rebate in July.
The Electricity Rebate Program for those whose electricity use is under 250 megawatt hours per year. Albertans who meet the eligibility criteria but have not received the rebates by the end of July should contact the Utility Consumer Advocate at 310-4822 or UCAhelps@gov.ab.ca for assistance.
School Bus – Transportation Relief For School Boards:
The Alberta government is reinstating the Fuel Price Contingency Program to provide millions of dollars in additional funding for student transportation due to rising fuel costs.
As per the news release, the school budgets were calculated on monthly average diesel prices of $1.25 per litre. Fuel Price Contingency Program will be enacted retroactively to March to provide $8.2 million in additional student transportation funding from March through June of this year based on an estimated average diesel price of $1.80 per litre.
Eligible school authorities will receive payment from the government for these four months according to established bus route distances.
Alberta says financial support will also be provided to school boards during the 2022-23 school year.
Inflation:
Statistics Canada today released the Consumer Price Index report for May 2022, and the annual rate of inflation has now hit 7.7 per cent – the highest since 1983. Alberta’s inflation rate is one of the lowest at 7.1 per cent.
As per Statistics Canada’s April report, inflation decreased in Alberta by 0.2 per cent from March, partly due to the temporary removal of the fuel tax on gasoline by the Kenney government.
