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An oil and gas pumpjack is shown near Cremona, Alta., on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh The Rural Municipalities of Alberta is calling on the province to take steps to level the playing field to allow municipalities to recover millions in unpaid taxes owed by oil and gas companies. According to a recent survey of RMA members, $245 million in property taxes currently owed to rural municipalities by oil and gas companies have gone unpaid. All 69 members responded to the survey and results showed a 42 per cent increase in unpaid tax amounts compared to 2020, and a 203 per cent increase from 2019. “In some municipalities, unpaid tax amounts are so high that service levels are being reduced, municipal staff are being laid off, and serious discussions are occurring about whether the municipalities can continue to function,” said RMA president Paul McLauchlin. “The fact that every rural municipality in the province took the time to complete this survey speaks to the anxiety and frustration that rural leaders are facing on this unpaid tax issue.” The association said members manage over 70 per cent of Alberta’s roads and 60 per cent of bridges, and the […]
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