Since 2019, the Alberta government has short-changed Edmonton over $80 million.
When the province doesn't pay, you foot their bill.
We don't think that is fair.
We think it's unfair that the provincial government has posted a multi-billion dollar surplus for several years but continue to give themselves a discount on municipal taxes.
Government of Alberta — Pay Your Taxes
Did you know that properties belonging to the Government of Alberta don't have to pay property taxes?
Instead, buildings like Alberta Legislature, the Neil Crawford Provincial Centre, and many others pay for municipal services through a provincial grant, called Grants in Place of Taxes (or GIPOT).
In 2019, the government cut these grants by 25% to deal with their own deficit with the promise to return to the full amount once they balanced their books. Then, in 2020 they cut the grant again making their total payment half of the full amount where it has stayed ever since.
This means that for all the municipal services provincial buildings use, they pay 50% of what they should. The reduction has hit Edmonton hard because it has about two-thirds of all the province’s properties.
As a result, the city is losing over $15 million every year as of 2024. Since 2019, the City of Edmonton has been short-changed $80 million.
