Alberta Tries Again: CRA Partnership in Works for Future Rebates

Alberta Finance Minister Jason Nixon has instructed his department to work on a partnership with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for future rebate programs. The goal is to avoid another separate provincial application process, which was used for the current Alberta Energy Rebate.

The current rebate provides a one-time $100 payment to eligible adults and has been open since July 1, with applications remaining available until September 30. So far, about 1.2 million Albertans have taken up the rebate out of around 3.4 million eligible individuals.

Nixon said that beginning work on a CRA partnership now could allow future rebates to avoid another separate application process. The province's first-quarter fiscal update includes a $357-million increase in operating expense for the Alberta Energy Rebate for the quarter that began July 1.

The government remains committed to providing relief during periods of high oil prices, but whether this takes the form of another rebate is still a cabinet decision. Nixon also mentioned that fuel-tax relief is under review and that the results of the latest quarterly oil-price assessment will be presented to cabinet before any decisions are made.