US EditionSearch Alberta Oil and Gas Company Municipal Tax Arrears
Despite a 2023 order to block licence transfers for companies owing over $20,000, nearly 600 Alberta oil firms owe $254 million in taxes and leases by 2024, with enforcement gaps noted.
- Despite the March 2023 order, 130 companies owing over $20,000 still received new well licences by the end of 2024, according to the IJF.
- Differing priorities between the Alberta Energy Regulator and municipalities mean the order allows transfers if firms provide repayment evidence or proof of payment, even for insolvent companies.
- Investigative Journalism Foundation found nearly 600 Alberta companies responsible for tax arrears, with LPRT orders prompting the government to pay about $89.6 million for unpaid leases of about 300 companies.
- Landowners and municipalities face unpaid bills while taxpayers cover some leases through the province's general revenue fund; collections fall to Crown Debt Collections and closures to the Orphan Well Association.
- Questions still remain unanswered up to this date, as a March 2025 Ministry of Municipal Affairs document found only $12.4 million tied to companies likely able to repay, while LPRT records show many operators face insolvency.
8 Articles
8 Articles
Search Alberta oil and gas company municipal tax arrears
The IJF has identified nearly 600 Alberta companies responsible for millions of dollars in municipal tax arrears and unpaid landowner leases. Unpaid oil and gas property taxes have created an increasingly large burden for local governments in Alberta. Rural municipalities reported companies owed $81 million in cumulative tax arrears in 2018. As of the end of 2024, the property tax debt had grown to nearly $254 million, despite policies being int…
Data reveals millions in tax arrears and unpaid leases for nearly 600 Alberta oil and gas companies
Pumpjacks draw out oil and gas from well heads near Cremona, Alta. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh) The IJF has identified nearly 600 Alberta companies responsible for millions of dollars of municipal tax arrears and unpaid leases to landowners.Unpaid oil and gas property taxes have created an increasingly large burden for local governments in Alberta. Rural municipalities reported companies owed $81 million in cumulative tax arrears in 2018. …
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