MLA Column – Changes made to Farm Fuel Benefit Program

Maureen Kubinec, PCs
Maureen Kubinec, PCs
BY Maureen Kubinec
MLA Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock

On March 7, our government tabled a budget that includes some tough measures to address our province’s current fiscal situation.
One of those measures is the removal of the Farm Fuel Distribution Allowance portion of the Alberta Farm Fuel Benefit Program. The 6-cent-per-litre Farm Fuel Distribution Allowance, which was unique to Alberta, applied to marked diesel, marked renewable diesel and heating fuel for eligible farm operations.

This decision was not made lightly. Our priority continues to be building an agriculture industry that is competitive and sustainable. To this end, we are focusing dollars on programs – such as research, industry and market development, food safety, and rural development – that will help achieve the best long-term results for the agriculture sector, our producers and our communities.

While the elimination of the Farm Fuel Distribution Allowance brings Alberta closer in line to fuel benefits provided to producers in other prairie provinces, Alberta’s farm fuel program is still among the best in Canada.

Alberta producers will continue to receive a 9-cent- per-litre provincial tax exemption on marked gasoline and diesel for their farm operations. They will retain their farm fuel numbers and farm plates.

For more information about the change to the Alberta Farm Fuel Benefit Program, I encourage you to visit the Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development website at www.agric.gov.ab.ca, email AFFB@gov.ab.ca or call the department’s Edmonton office at 780-422-9167 (toll-free by first dialing 310-0000).

Maureen Kubinec, MLA
Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock
Constituency

3 Comments

  1. I’ll start off by saying this change to the Farm Fuel program doesn’t affect me one whit directly. I’m sure if it makes a big enough impact we’ll hear about it from the farmers.

    I’m not for or against this change but I find myself asking a question or two: Do the people who put together these budgets ever consider pay cuts? Do they stop and think for a minute what the voting public might want them to do instead of what they feel like doing?

    I voted PC in the last election but the direction Alberta is headed now makes me seriously consider voting differently in the next election. I remember Ralph Klein and is decisions, and while they weren’t popular they were certainly effective at the time. This time around, I’d like to see the politicians give something back to us. You know, the people that carry them by paying our taxes. Something has to give, and I’m starting to think it’ll have to be a change of government.

  2. I am not only in total agreement with Christian’s comment, I have a question and comment of my own.

    Previously, I believe our MLA stated that the Cardiff Road overpass was her ‘number one priority’. With that project now off the table for the forseeable future, one must wonder what her new “number one priority” might be!

    Face it folks… before the last election the PC party flat-out lied to us on a whole host of issues and this deceit is coming back to bite us – bigtime. Unfortunately, we get the government we deserve and our only hope is that electors pay a little closer attention the next time around!

  3. You hit the nail on the head Christian! All this does is force farmers to grow more valuable crops, which south of the border is non-edible, such as fuel crops. In return that will drive up food prices which will cost us all dearly. Maybe the politicians can eat their fat paychecks when the food runs out!

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