Calgary, April 10, 2026 – With oil prices holding above $90 per barrel for more than a month, Alberta’s small businesses are struggling with high fuel costs - without relief from the province’s fuel tax program, says the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).
CFIB is urging the Alberta government to immediately reinstate fuel tax relief to reflect current market conditions and to review the existing trigger mechanism to ensure it responds more effectively to sustained price increases.
“Fuel prices haven’t just jumped briefly—they’ve remained elevated long enough that businesses are now treating this as the new reality,” said Keyli Loeppky, Director of Alberta and Interprovincial Affairs at CFIB. “Fuel tax relief was not reinstated on April 1, leaving small businesses exposed at a time when cash flow pressures are already intense.”
Many small businesses across Alberta depend on fuel to operate, particularly in transportation, construction, and agriculture, sectors. CFIB’s March Business Barometer® shows fuel costs are a major constraint for 42% of Alberta small businesses, demonstrating the scale and seriousness of the issue.
“Fuel is not a discretionary expense for most small businesses,” said Loeppky. “These are essential costs that can’t easily be passed on to customers without risking competitiveness or reduced demand—especially when business owners are already grappling with inflation, rising taxes, insurance costs, and overall economic uncertainty.”
CFIB notes that Alberta’s oil price-based fuel tax relief program relies on backward-looking quarterly averages of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices, which can cause relief to lag months behind real-time market conditions.
CFIB is calling on the provincial government to:
- Provide immediate fuel tax relief based on current oil price conditions; and
- Review the existing fuel tax trigger mechanism to ensure it responds promptly to sustained price increases.
“Alberta’s small businesses are the backbone of the provincial economy and don’t have the luxury of waiting until next quarter for support,” said Loeppky. “When relief is delayed, it’s denied—timely fuel tax relief would provide real support and show government understands the pressures entrepreneurs face right now.”
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:
Keyli Loeppky, CFIB
587-580-9140
keyli.loeppky@cfib.ca
About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 103,000 members (11,000 in Alberta) across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.
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