The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says Prince Albert is the city in Saskatchewan with the most “unfair tax system” for small businesses.
A new report from the group, which advocates for independent business owners, shows commercial property owners in Prince Albert paid $3.86 in municipal property taxes for every dollar paid by homeowners last year.
The provincial average for commercial owners was $2.21 per homeowner dollar.
“While some cities are doing a better job than others in making municipal property taxes fairer for small businesses, there is still more work to be done,” said Jennifer Henshaw, CFIB’s senior policy analyst for Saskatchewan and the report’s co-author, in a news release.
Business property owners in Prince Albert also paid the highest property tax bill, according to the report. For example, a business assessed at $200,000 paid about $6,000 in taxes last year.
“If you’re a small business owner and you want to survive in P.A., or if you’re a small business owner who wants to move to P.A., it’s certainly something you’re going to consider — what is the amount of taxes you’re going to pay the municipality,” Larry Fladager, CEO of the Prince Albert and District Chamber of Commerce, said. His group is urging the city to lower commercial property taxes.
Warman’s municipal property tax gap of 1.39 and Saskatoon’s $1,847 property tax bill for businesses valued at $200,000 were both the lowest in the province, in their respective categories.
CTV News reached out to the City of Prince Albert, but no one was available for comment.
