With Alberta’s rural municipalities, including Mountain View and Red Deer counties, continuing to carry the burden of millions and millions of dollars in unpaid oil and gas company taxes, it’s high time the Smith government take real action to get the bills paid.
According to the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA), more than $250 million in municipal property taxes remained unpaid as of Dec. 31, 2024 – marking the seventh straight year that vast amounts of taxes owed have not shown up in local coffers.
Mountain View County, for example, has had to write-off more than $1.8 million in unpaid oil and gas taxes over the past decade.
As a direct result, farm families, small businesses and other taxpayers have been forced to cover the shortfall in order to provide vital public services such as roadways, bridges and other critical infrastructure.
Last week the province announced it is forming a working group with municipal partners to explore the issue of unpaid oil and gas taxes and to investigate potential solutions.
“We’re committed to working with our municipal partners to ensure that bad actors in the oil and gas industry are held to account, and that municipalities are paid the property taxes they are due,” said Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver.
For her part, Mountain View County Reeve Angela Aalbers says the provincial government has the power to make the companies pay and it should use that power without further delay.
“It's time for the provincial government to move beyond discussing unpaid oil and gas taxes and take legislative action to ensure payment,” Aalbers told the Albertan.
“Including RMA in devising a plan is a good first step but this work needs to result in tools for enforceable action against the bad actors in the industry.”
While discussions around the issue of unpaid municipal taxes have been ongoing for years, the fact that more than $250 million remains unpaid makes it obvious that more needs to be done.
The time for enforcement action has arrived Premier Smith.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan.
