Calgary’s property tax gap highest in Alberta: report

CALGARY (660 NEWS) – The City of Calgary has topped a list for small business, but it’s not one to be proud of.

According to a report released Tuesday by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), Calgary has the largest property tax gap between commercial and residential of any major city in Alberta.

“Right now entrepreneurs are paying four times the property tax than a resident based on the same assessed value of property, and that’s simply unfair,” said VP for Alberta and BC, Richard Truscott.

Truscott pointed to the city’s reliance on the commercial sector to help pay for government administrative costs as a key reason why the gap is so big.

It’s an issue that Truscott said has been plaguing small business for some time now and it’s becoming a burden.

“Let’s not forget that entrepreneurs are struggling through one of the worst, extended economic downturns that we’ve seen in a long, long time and yet they’re expected to pay these big property tax bills every year and the burden is very unbalanced.”

As for how the gap can be reduced, the CFIB said that controlling municipal spending and eliminating extra taxes on small business are the significant changes required.

Edmonton came in second on the list with a tax gap of 2.82 per cent while Lacombe was at the bottom with a gap of 1.15 per cent.

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