Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

MLA Todd Stone reintroduces bill to help reduce property tax for small businesses

 

Todd Stone, MLA for Kamloops-South Thompson and Opposition Critic for Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation, has reintroduced a bill entitled the Assessment (Split Assessment Classification) Amendment Act, 2020 in the legislature.

By creating a new commercial property sub-class, this bill enables local governments to reduce property taxes for small businesses facing massive tax increases on the development potential of their unused airspace.

“Businesses should only pay tax on the space they actually use — not on the air above them,” said Stone. “But as urban centres grow, densification is placing huge pressure on our local small businesses, particularly those on the Lower Mainland, through dramatically increased property taxes based on the highest and best use of undeveloped airspace.

In some cases, organizations have seen a 200 to 300 per cent increase in property tax bills. I’m introducing this bill for a third time, as the legislation pushed through by the NDP government earlier this year will not provide municipalities and businesses with the solution they requested as countless businesses were forced to close permanently.”


John Horgan called the Legislature back with only one piece of legislation, but British Columbians are expecting more ideas to address the challenges our province is facing. This bill would be an optional tool for local governments to cut property tax to a rate that makes the most sense for each unique situation they try to address.

The new rate would only apply to the unused airspace above a business, while the business premises would be taxed at its normal rate.

“During this pandemic downturn, it's critical to deliver on split assessment to relieve cost pressures caused by sky-high property tax assessments for small business, arts groups and non-profits,” added Stone.

“This solution is supported by a broad coalition of stakeholders. Our communities were already losing cherished local businesses to skyrocketing property taxes before the pandemic and we can’t let COVID-19 hollow out our neighbourhoods any further. I urge the government to call this bill for debate and take immediate action before more small businesses are lost for good.”

 

 

File: Split-Classification-for-Unused-Airspace-FAQ_Dec-2020.pdf

 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nurses Take Job Action After Years of NDP Neglect

Image Credit:  BC Nurses Union BC nurses have reached a breaking point after years of unsafe conditions, rising violence in the workplace and a government that wouldn’t listen. Now they are on the picket line fighting to be heard. Last week, nurses began job action with a 72-hour strike notice, refusing non-essential overtime and stepping back from non-nursing duties. As of Tuesday, they have escalated to picket lines for the first time in decades. This moment was avoidable. It is the result of years of unanswered concerns from the frontline workers who keep our hospitals running. Nurses have been raising the same concerns for years: unsafe staffing levels, rising violence on the job, and a workload no single person should have to carry. None of it is new, and none of it should have taken a strike vote to get the government's attention. "Nurses are exercising their legal right to job action, but it shouldn’t have had to come to this," said Kiel Giddens, MLA for...
Post a Comment
Read more

British Columbians Still Don’t Know Who’s Paying for NDP’s BC Hydro Deal

The NDP is making billion-dollar promises with BC Hydro, but British Columbians still don’t know who will pay the bill. Last week’s memorandum of understanding isn’t what the federal government and the NDP are making it out to be. It’s an admission that the NDP failed to make the long-term investments needed to keep B.C. powered. Now British Columbians have serious questions about the cost and whether BC Hydro ratepayers will end up paying the price. David L. Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap and Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development , said British Columbians deserve clear answers about the full implications of the Canada–British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement. “British Columbians deserve the full truth,” said Mr. Williams. “This multi-billion-dollar announcement does not answer who pays for cost overruns, who pays for new generation, who carries the risk if industrial customers do not materialize, or whether ratepayers will be forced ...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Government Blames Everyone but Themselves

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more