24 Hours
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Byline: Irwin Loy
Businesses want lower tax rates
There's nothing like taxes to get Vancouver business owners' blood boiling.
A report meant to figure out, once and for all, if local businesses are paying more than their share in property taxes recommends giving them a break.
But the main lobby group pushing for a so-called "tax shift" says the move should only be a first step, while opposition city councillors wonder if the recommendations are going too far.
The report's authors suggest shifting taxes one per cent a year so that businesses pay around 48 per cent of city property taxes, compared with the 52.7 per cent they paid this year.
But the Fair Tax Coalition, a lobby group made up of local businesses, want that number lower: Around 45 or 46 per cent.
The group claims businesses are leaving the city because of its high property tax levels compared to other cities. But the report's authors have concluded they've seen no concrete evidence of that. |
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