Alberta’s government did the right thing by ignoring the clamour to immediately axe its gas tax.

Such a welcome display of backbone in the face of opposition from groups as diverse as the provincial NDP and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is rare indeed. Usually, governments cave at the slightest hint that they should bribe voters by handing over money they don’t actually have.

Premier Danielle Smith, who no doubt hopes she’ll keep her job when the next election rolls around, softened the refusal when she reminded Albertans they’d have to wait a while for any relief at the pumps, because the government already has a plan to drop the fuel tax if oil prices stay higher for longer than a few weeks.

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In contrast, Prime Minister Mark Carney rushed to announce Ottawa would axe its 10-cent tax on gas almost immediately, though the more observant among us might have noticed many gas stations raised prices by about that same amount a few days before the tax cut went into effect. Prices hardly budged.

So, why shouldn’t Smith follow Carney’s lead? They’re........

© Calgary Herald