The 2015 Alberta budget has been released, and residents of the province may end up with sticker shock as the gas taxes and sin taxes increase in order to try and close a budget shortfall caused by lower oil prices. The tax on alcohol, cigarettes, and gasoline will go up effective 12:01 on Friday, and residents should be prepared to pay more in taxes for each purchase that includes these items. The tax on gas and diesel will go from 9 cents per litre to 13 cents per litre, and the tax for propane will rise from 2.9 cents to 9.4 cents for each litre purchased. The increase on fuel taxes may cause many to feel a financial pinch as they struggle to find ways to pay the extra cost.

The new sin taxes and gas taxes in the Alberta budget are not popular, but in all fairness the tax on tobacco has not gone up since 2009, and the last hike in taxes on liquor sales was 13 years ago. Cigarettes will now be taxed at $45 per carton instead of $40. and cigars will now be taxed at a rate of 116 percent instead of the current 103 percent. Loose tobacco will see a rise in taxes on each gram, with Albertans expected to pay 33.75 cents per gram of tobacco instead of the previous 30 cents per gram. Robin Campbell, the Finance Minister, discussed the tax increases and said “Depending on what their lifestyle is, each individual is going to look at things differently. I guess some people will be upset if their favourite bottle of wine is a little more, or a six pack of beer. I don’t indulge, so I can’t say.”