No relief for Vancouver businesses
Property tax report falls short
March 14, 2007, Vancouver, BC – Recommendations from the City of Vancouver’s Property Tax Policy Review Commission do not go far enough to address the inequitable distribution of property taxes for businesses, the Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition said today.
The interim report recommends the city shift between one and two per cent of the 2007 tax levy from non-residential to residential taxpayers. In consultation with the city and the commission, the VFTC stressed the importance of holding any tax increases for the non-residential classes for the next two years.
“The commission’s report clearly recognizes the significance of the property tax problem and the unfair tax burden placed on non-residential taxpayers,” said Ed Des Roches, co-chair of the VFTC. “That is why we are disappointed with the recommendations. Even with a two per cent shift, business owners will still see an increase in their taxes.”
The coalition is urging Vancouver City Council to take aggressive action in the 2007 budget.
“One to two per cent just doesn’t cut it,” added Bob Laurie, the coalition’s co-chair. “We’ve reached a crisis point because previous councils failed to do anything about the issue. We need to hold tax increases, and a shift of less than two per cent is unacceptable for Vancouver business owners and operators. It sends a signal that council isn’t prepared to tackle this problem seriously.”
Research conducted by the VFTC Technical Committee shows that holding tax increases to the non-residential classes for two years – as recommended by the coalition – would have a modest impact on residential households. It would cost the average homeowner less than a cup of coffee per week.
The Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition represents more than 43,000 local businesses concerned about the high municipal property taxes they pay.
For more information about the VFTC, visit www.fairtaxcoalition.com.
Media contacts:
Ed Des Roches
Co-Chair, Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition
604-254-5034 ext. 103
Bob Laurie
Co-Chair, Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition
604-662-5180
Paul Sullivan
Chair, Technical Committee, Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition
604-689-1233
Andrea Freer
Contemporary Communications Ltd.
604-734-3663 |
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