Key takeaways:
- Region to raise fuel tax relief until September while adding electricity refunds.
- Alberta is keeping its fuel tariff relief program in place as people persist in wrestling with the effect of rising inflation.
Alberta will expand its fuel tax relief program till September and provide monthly electricity refunds of $50 this summer — after a report that inflation in the province ascended to 7.1 percent in May.
The United Conservative government stated Wednesday it would continue to strike pause on the collection of its 13¢ per liter regional fuel surcharge, developing a program that went into impact on April 1.
Soon after that announcement, it said it would also provide houses, ranches, and small businesses with $50 monthly for their electricity bills in July, August, and September.
“We are supplying targeted help to help hard-working Albertans deal with the rising expense of living,” Dale Nally, Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity, stated in a statement.
Read more: Housing activity goes to 2015 levels in Alberta as oil costs soar
“These repayments, mixed with the fuel surcharge exemption and upcoming natural gas refund, will help the large bulk of Alberta households pay their bills while we make the long-term differences required to make energy more affordable in the years ahead.”
With the fuel tariff relief, the government said it would consider the program quarterly and reinstate it in phases only if the average cost of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil dropped below $90 US per barrel.
During the four weeks ending June 15, WTI averaged $115.88 per barrel for the area. The government will re-evaluate the program in September.
Concerning the electricity refunds, the region said eligible Albertans would get an automatic $50 rebate on their bills. It is being applied to eligible utility bills, needing no application to begin receiving the refund in July.
Source – cbc.ca
