From Surviving to Thriving – Business Affordability & Lowering Commercial Taxes

We’re working hard to support small business neighbourhoods, and help shape policies that work too.  Through collaborative efforts and constructive dialogue, we’re addressing business affordability, including commercial property assessments and tax policies.

Businesses of varying sizes, commercial property owners, and residents are all part of the local economy.  Over 95% of businesses in the City have 10 employees or less, and over 84% in BC have 50 employees or less.  Many commercial property owners are also long-time small business owners, and they own their business and property through years of sacrifice.

From local business owners to property owners, both have a vested interest in the community, and contribute to the character of the neighbourhood and local community initiatives.  There are solutions that can be implemented at the municipal and provincial level, which can work for both small business owners and commercial property owners, and local residents and community development.

Our advocacy to support small business neighbourhoods includes presentations at the RAIC/MOV Built City Speaker Series events, BC Land Summit conference, and City Council hearings.

 

Advocacy Presentation:

• Please click here for our advocacy presentation delivered at events and conferences, and see links below for articles, interviews and more on the issues and solutions to shift from surviving to thriving.

 

 

Media, City Council hearing and Correspondence:

• • Breakfast TV and msn.com / Microsoft News:
    • http://a.msn.com/09/en-ca/AAAO7j4?ocid=se
  • Presentation at Mayor & Council hearing (1:36:34pm on video)
    • https://csg001-harmony.sliq.net/00317/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20190430/-1/12043?mediaStartTime=20190429130428&mediaEndTime=20190429222432&viewMode=3
  • Global TV:  
    • https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/1514653251889/?jwsource=cl
    • https://globalnews.ca/news/5219084/vancouver-property-tax-shift/
  • Vancouver Sun article: 
    • https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-council-leans-to-shifting-some-property-tax-burden-from-businesses-to-residences
  • Vancouver Courier article #1: 
    • https://www.vancourier.com/opinion/vancouver-councillors-mayor-show-true-colours-in-tackling-taxing-dilemma-1.23814764?fbclid=IwAR3wpgt8wgJcOa-8JfvF4O_oune7c7EUEwHJ4t1SioWc-4SucRQCCbZ7s1c
  • Vancouver Courier article #2: 
    • https://www.vancourier.com/news/vancouver-council-approves-tax-break-for-business-property-owners-1.23806374
  • The National Post: 
    • https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/vancouver-council-approves-2-per-cent-tax-shift-from-business-to-homeowners
    • articles also featured in: Vancouver Courier, Toronto Star, North Shore News, Delta Optimist, Times Colonist Victoria, CHEK Media Victoria, Castanet – Kelowna.
  • Spacing Vancouver: 
    • http://spacing.ca/vancouver/2019/02/04/the-value-of-small-businesses-well-rounded-discussions-at-movs-built-city-speaker-series/
  • Advocacy letters
    • Letters to the City and Province

 

 

 

Advocacy presentation images: 

• • Value of Small Business Neighbourhoods
    • Small business owners = commercial property owners = local community development

• • Inequitable Tax Burden
    • The much larger portion of taxes paid by a much smaller tax base of commercial properties

• • Property Assessments
    • Sample assessment increases, issue with “highest and best” use

• • Really / Not Really
    • Misconceptions vs. reality
      • i.e. ‘Tax shifts will help big businesses’.  98% of business in the City are SMALL BUSINESSES.
      • i.e.  ‘Business and property owners are rich’.  Business owners may barely break even, and property owners can also be small business operators.  Current taxation policies are not affordable, creating high turnover, and forcing longtime property owners to close their business and sell their property.

• • Business Closures
    • Local examples of a city-wide issue

• • Vancouver BIA Partnership & FTC Advocacy
    • Collaborative efforts, and background info about business area groups and FTC

• • Solutions and Non-solutions
    • Municipal Solutions
      • Property assessment/land averaging (currently the City has targeted land averaging and previously it was ‘across-the-board’)
      • Shifting the inequitable tax burden.  The City approved a 2% tax shift over 3 years, which = approx. $40/year increase for the average home.
      • Revitalization tax exemptions
    • Provincial Solutions
      • Split assessment system, current use valuation for Class 5 and 6, work with municipalities to use available tools