Over the past decade, commercial tax increases have outstripped the growth of the number of businesses in the city
An advocacy group for small- and medium-scale businesses has called for the Edmonton city council to reconsider property tax hikes, as such levies will push job-makers away from the city.
Prosperity Edmonton noted that during the 2006 – 2016 period, the number of businesses operating in the city increased by 11%, while the overall commercial tax shot up by 124% and the city’s operational expenses have more than doubled.
In a statement quoted by CBC News, the group said that it is willing “to partner with the city to find ways to manage growth without resorting to property tax hikes that will hurt Edmonton's job-creators.”
Mayor Don Iveson noted that the hikes were inevitable given the need for public works projects.
“Whether it was neighbourhood renewal, or paving the roads or building rec centres, you know, those things all came to cost and we were responding over the last 10 years to Edmontonians saying you can’t let the city fall apart because that would be bad for business,” Iveson stated. “I think we were always transparent about that.”
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The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce has warned that this trend is unsustainable.
“Edmonton businesses continue to grapple with cost increases from all orders of government,” president and CEO Janet Riopel said. “In this four-year budget [cycle] the city must identify operational savings to reverse the trend of ever-increasing property taxes.”
