Alberta Government stonewalls Royalty rate information.
Alberta royalty information is to be kept secret for 5 years time. The Alberta extreme conservatives have followed a plan that reduces Alberta’s take on royalty to match what they figure the province needs rather than what is ours. Their needs list is patterned after their own hawkish lists which say desperation is okay for seniors and the less fortunate. Kids are not chattel; they can't make you any money.
Alberta has more private schools than any other province. Our kids take their tax credit to school when they enroll and when you decide to change school you can't find one because the tax credit stays where they first arrived.
A dozen more schools are being built under the 3P scheme which means the Government leases them back. Now you have a system where the names on the lease can be changed to a private school and the tax credit can be eliminated through attrition while the actual costs of the school are picked up by you personally.
You are looking towards the end of the public school system!
Costs for infrastructure and social programs have been downloaded onto the cities and communities to work with however they can.
This was coupled with the Electrical power, an endless cash grab, which can be used to pay for the shortfalls. ‘More money for royalties.
Now, they are doing the same thing with the provincial water supplies. First put it in pipes then charge for it. Having already sold or assigned most of the water allotments the prices for the water will be included in the pipeline (probably metered) charges.
You do not own the water in your dug outs, the water in your wells and/or your snow rain catchments. More revenue for the province, lower goes the royalty; this time figures kept secret.
All the monies made from income taxes, empty container returns and user fees are put into their General Revenue account along with the monies taken through oil royalty.
The Heritage Trust Fund started out to be an appreciating fund of reinvested revenues held in the hands of Alberta Treasury that was robbed over the years with the profits from the investments taken out and added to the General Revenues and used to reduce the oil royalty taken. Now, it is in the hands of an Alberta private company Iris Evans has put her personal stamp on it saying it will be held to a 4.5% increase per year.
All those millions above the 4.5% will be sucked off and put into the General Revenues and used to reduce royalties of the future – now to be kept secret.
As Brian Mason of the NDP says ‘They have more secrets than the KGB”
Every election they have won since Peter Lougheed left has been won on outright lies and misdirection. They have not show up at any public debates for the last two elections and are not going to show up for the next election.
There is a new political party in Alberta a Small C; small L which is exactly what the voter wants in this province, a real alternative. When you get the chance, use it!