The Premier's Council for Economic Strategy is examining options to help the province ride out the volatility from erratic oil and gas revenues. One of those options is a provincial sales tax (PST).
Finance Minister, Ted Morton, says a PST isn't on the immediate horizon, but he's not ruling out the possibility down the road.
"Premier's Council on Economic Strategy is looking at those medium to long term options and we'll be making recommendations in the spring of next year," said Morton.
The opposition parties have been quick to jump on the government for even considering the idea.
"I don't think there's an excuse for the province of Alberta to be running a deficit, and I also don't think there's any excuse to consider a sales tax in this province," commented Alberta NDP Leader, Brian Mason.
"As for the issue of a sales tax, I think it is unequivocal, we do not have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem," added Wildrose Alliance Leader, Danielle Smith.
Premier Ed Stelmach says the Premier's Council is looking at a PST 20 or 30 years down the road.
"I can tell you as long as I'm premier, there won't be a sales tax, period," said Stelmach.
University of Calgary economist, Frank Atkins says it's impossible for Stelmach to bring in a sales tax right now.
"It's a really tough sell now because we all know that the whole reason that sales tax talk is heating up now is because of the size of the deficit. This is the wrong time for sales tax talk. This is the time for cutting expenditure talk," said Atkins.
Alberta is currently the only province without a provincial sales tax.
