EDMONTON (CP) _ Albertans won't be getting a break on their auto insurance premiums after this year's provincial rate review.

The government-appointed board that sets rates for mandatory policies has decided to hold premiums at 2006 levels for another year.

Board chairman Alf Savage issued a brief statement saying the province's consumers continue to have access to fair and affordable auto insurance.

But Liberal insurance critic Rick Miller says the provincial Conservative government a number of years ago promised the lowest auto insurance rates in western Canada and that simply hasn't happened.

Last year, drivers got a three per cent reduction on mandatory coverage, and Savage says rates are now 18 per cent lower than they were before auto insurance reforms in 2004.

NDP Leader Brian Mason says it won't sit well with Albertans to see no rate reductions after another year of record profits for the insurance industry.