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October 11, 2005
$400 rebate cheques will arrive in the new year
Must be an Alberta resident and have filed a 2004 tax return to be eligible
Edmonton... Albertans will start seeing their $400 per-person Alberta 2005 Resource Rebate cheques in mailboxes in January 2006. Returning some of this year's higher than anticipated resource revenues to Albertans is just one part of the province's plan for this year's strong revenues-a strategy that also includes infrastructure investment and savings in endowments.
To receive the rebate, you must have been an Alberta resident on September 1, 2005 and have filed a 2004 Canadian tax return. Children whose families already receive the Canada Child Tax Benefit or the Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit automatically qualify, and payments will go to the primary caregiver, usually the mother. Most children are registered, but those parents who have never done so must complete the form available on the Canada Revenue Agency website (
Albertans have until December 2006 to register for the Canada Child Tax Benefit or file their 2004 tax returns and still receive the rebate. Supplementary cheque runs will follow to address these and other special cases.
"This is a huge administrative task, and we must make sure it is done right," said McClellan. "Some oversights can be expected in a project of this size, but the vast majority of Albertans will receive the rebate without problems." Administrative costs will be under $10 million, less than one per cent of the program cost.
The resource rebate will total between $1.3 billion and $1.4 billion. The majority of the higher than expected revenue will be allocated to infrastructure and savings. More information about the rebates is available on the government website at
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Backgrounders attached: Eligibility criteria and administration; Common questions and answers
Media enquiries may be directed to:
Ryan Cromb, A/Director of Communications
Alberta Finance, (780) 427-5364
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.
This news release is available on the Alberta Finance homepage at:
October 11, 2005
Eligibility criteria and administration of the resource rebate
Who to contact for information: (Updated January 26, 2006)
Important Forms
Canada Revenue Agency has indicated that limited numbers of forms are available. Canada Revenue Agency is printing additional forms, but requesting a paper form could delay your rebate. People who need forms are asked to consider downloading them electronically to make applications.
If you did not live in Alberta for the 2004 tax year, you should file the form relating to the province of your residence in that year. You are still eligible to receive the rebate if you were resident in Alberta on September 1, 2005. See
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Media enquiries may be directed to:
Ryan Cromb
A/Director of Communications
Alberta Finance
(780) 427-5364
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.
This backgrounder is available on the Alberta Finance homepage at:
October 11, 2005
Common questions and answers on Alberta's resource rebate
General information
The rebate will be $400 per person.
The rebates will not be subject to provincial or federal income taxes.
Residents who are 18 years of age as of December 2005 and who have filed a 2004 tax return and are a resident of Alberta as of September 1, 2005 are eligible to receive a rebate.
No. The rebates for children under 18 will be included on the cheque of the person listed as primary caregiver for the purposes of the Canada Child Tax Benefit, in most cases the mother.
People convicted of a crime and incarcerated in prison as of September 1, 2005 will not be eligible for the rebate.
The rebate portion is expected to be worth between $1.3 billion and $1.4 billion. The majority of the additional resource revenue dollars will go to help pay for capital projects and increasing the province's savings.
Government designated a dollar amount now so we don't have to wait for the final audited tally in June 2006 to provide a rebate. At this point, it's a "one-time" program reflecting the unexpected increase in revenue.
Eligible Albertans will receive the Alberta 2005 Resource Rebate closer to the end of January. As a security measure, the government will not announce an exact date for when the rebates will be mailed out.
The estimated cost is about $10 million - less than one per cent of the total program cost.
Deductions on the rebates will only be made for money owing under Maintenance Enforcement but not other debts.
The rebates will not affect the benefits Albertans receive through provincial assistance programs.
Updating your tax information
You can notify the Canada Revenue Agency of a change of address at 1-866-209-8903 for service in English or 1-866-209-8994 for service in French.
You can still receive a rebate as long as you file a 2004 return by December 31, 2006. A copy of the 2004 tax return form is available online at
Children
Children whose families already receive the monthly Canada Child Tax Benefit will automatically qualify for the Alberta 2005 Resource Rebate.
If you have never registered your children for the Canada Child Tax Benefit, you should do so by completing an application available online at
Parents who have not registered their children in time to receive the payment by January will receive a payment for the children at a later date. To avoid delays in processing your application, please include a copy of your child's birth certificate for children one year old and up.
Children's rebates will be paid to their primary caregiver for the month of January 2006.
Resource rebates for children in the care of the province will be transferred to Alberta Children's Services, which has the responsibility of working with the children to ensure the money is used appropriately for the child's benefit.
Rebates for children living with relatives or others, but not under the care of the province, will be sent to the person listed as the primary caregiver for the purposes of the Canada Child Tax Benefit.
Children who are not attached to a primary caregiver may need to apply for the rebate. An application can be found online.Parents of children born late in the year will receive a delayed payment for that child as long as they have registered for the Canada Child Tax Benefit.
Students
Alberta students studying in another province are still eligible for the rebate program, provided they filed a 2004 tax return as Alberta residents. They may need to contact the Canada Revenue Agency at 1-800-959-8281 in order to receive a rebate.
Out-of-province students studying in Alberta who filed 2004 returns in their home province will not be considered Alberta residents.
Others
Immigrants who filed a 2004 Canadian tax return will see rebates. Immigrants who are Permanent Residents but were not able to file a 2004 tax return will receive a rebate at a later date so long as they were resident in Alberta on September 1, 2005.
Albertans who were temporarily out of the province on September 1, 2005 might be eligible for the rebate and will need to apply for it. An application can be found online.
We will be working with inner city agencies to determine how to best distribute the rebate to people with no fixed address.
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Media enquiries may be directed to:
Ryan Cromb
A/Director of Communications
Alberta Finance
(780) 427-5364
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000.
This backgrounder is available on the Alberta Finance homepage at:
Copyright(c); 2005 Government of Alberta