Possible provincial sales tax in Alberta?

[TimG]

Personally, i think this is just fear mongering by the oil and gas companies.



Provincial Sales Tax Concept

April 24, 2007 - 8:15 am
By: Kevin Usselman

The question being posed by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers is what's more important the environment, or the economy.

Vice President, Greg Stringham says curbing oil sands development would dramatically reduce government revenue. Stingham says, “This year alone, the province is collecting 3.7 billion dollars in royalty payments out of the Tarsands, which is the same amount of money a 6 percent sales tax would generate.”

Stringham adds a moratorium on future expansion, would further erode revenue, which in turn could boost that sales tax number to the 10 to 15 percent range. He says, “People really need to think things through before reining in growth”.

Environmentalists counter that no amount of money is worth the long term damage posed to land and wildlife in the area, by letting things proceed unabated.

http://www.660news.com/news/topstory/article.jsp;jsessionid=LCKKOHGKLMNE?content=20070424_081527_3248

[01RedDX]

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[adam c]

wow thats gay..

Ralph did so much to keep stupid shit out of this province and especially sales tax and now that hes gone people are starting to have a hay day with the government here..

what a joke

[Toma]

Let me get this right.... we attempt a review of the Royalty revenue that they are STEALING, so they try and scare us with a PST?

Shoot the crooked fuckers.

[ICEBERG]

This province is trying to F*** us more up the A$$... Gas is going up like crazy, and i wouldn't be suprised if it hits almost $1.65 a Litre by this summer.:thumbsdow

[Mangina]

Originally posted by ICEBERG
This province is trying to F*** us more up the A$$... Gas is going up like crazy, and i wouldn't be suprised if it hits almost $1.65 a Litre by this summer.:thumbsdow

What do gas prices have to do with the government?

[Crymson]

Originally posted by Mangina


What do gas prices have to do with the government?

Originally posted by Fuel Tax Act

http://www.qp.gov.ab.ca/documents/Acts/F28P1.cfm?frm_isbn=0779746775



Rate of tax

11(1) The tax required to be paid pursuant to this Act shall be paid at the following rates:

(a) with respect to gasoline, diesel and other prescribed fuels, $0.09 per litre;

(b) with respect to aviation fuel and locomotive fuel, $0.015 per litre;

(c) with respect to liquefied petroleum gas, $0.065 per litre.




At the federal level:

The excise tax on gasoline is 10 cents per litre while the excise tax on diesel fuel and aviation fuel is 4 cents per litre. Since these amounts are charged at flat rates per litre rather than on a percentage basis, the amount of excise revenue the Government receives does not vary with price changes at the pump.

+6% GST

[Crymson]

Yes, it' is fearmonger by the oil companies. But everyone is fear mongering, the only reason it's a problem in the first places is because of the fearmongering of ignorant, pseudo religious, environmentalists.

The gov't has good reason to curb tar sands EXPANSION, without environmental issues. The biggest being that all infrastructure, housing and public services are already stretched beyond limitation. However, that 3.7 billion wouldn't dry up, because that's what they're already making.

On the royalty issue -- that's fine, that just people's greed talking, eventually, and innevitabely, the goverment of alberta will slay their golden goose. The point is that the oil industy has kept alberta from having a sales tax in the first place.

Also, it's not just royalties that generate the outrageous free money for the government of alberta, bi weekly mineral right sales consistently generate tens to hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue every two weeks. This money is completly non-refundable, oil companies pay huge sums of money to lease the rights for only a few years, there is no garauntee there is oil or gas there, and they don't get that money back regardless of what they find. And the kicker is, if they don't find what they want or don't drill soon enough, the government sells it again after 4 or 5 years.

[codetrap]

I thought that there was a sales tax in alberta, it was just hidden?

[Toma]

Originally posted by codetrap
I thought that there was a sales tax in alberta, it was just hidden?

:nut:

[sputnik]

Originally posted by codetrap
I thought that there was a sales tax in alberta, it was just hidden?

Do you wear a tinfoil hat?

[Frosty]

The "secret tax" in Alberta is an inflation rate in the range of 3% above the national average. It has the same net effect on reduction of real world purchasing power for people who live here as a tax would.

[hjr]

ralph gave the province away too (to help build the boom), but with the tiny royalties payed to the government, and the amount they are spending right now, something may have to change

[codetrap]

Originally posted by sputnik


Do you wear a tinfoil hat?

No, I was just under the impression that instead of collecting the "sales tax" by adding it on at the till, it was collected via higher manufacturing, or corporate taxes.

Hence, my phrasing the statement as a question. Good to see that you're all good and kind about answering it without being pricks about it.

[Mar]

Originally posted by codetrap
I thought that there was a sales tax in alberta, it was just hidden?
You're right. Hidden by the fact that we don't have shit else. Why are we the only province who have to pay separately for health care? PST might not be that bad an idea.

[Isaiah]

Ok everybody just chill your goddamn bones down. We're not getting a provincial sales tax, the government is not "trying to F*** us more up the A$$," and we're not converting to communism.

[TimG]

Originally posted by Mar

You're right. Hidden by the fact that we don't have shit else. Why are we the only province who have to pay separately for health care? PST might not be that bad an idea.

Ontario implemented an annual health care premium in 2004. I'm pretty sure that Quebec has something similar, but it's integrated into their provincial personal income taxes. BC has it too.