Rural areas in Alberta say the amount of unpaid taxes from energy companies is growing despite high oil prices.
Rural Municipalities of Alberta says its members were owed more than $250 million at the end of last year — up three per cent over the previous year.
Meanwhile, the price of oil averaged nearly $70 US over 2021 and has spiked in the last weeks to more than $120.
Paul McLauchlin, who’s the president of Rural Municipalities of Alberta, says it’s time for the province’s energy regulator to get tough with property tax deadbeats.
He says the provincial government has told his group that Alberta Energy has no power to fix the problem.
McLauchlin says the amount of unpaid taxes has more than doubled since 2018.
He says while the province has introduced new tools to help with tax collection, they are complicated to use and not stringent enough.