THUNDER BAY – High taxes are concerning business in the city. The Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce is concerned that business tax ratios are on the rise following last night’s meeting of Thunder Bay City Council.
“When a company is looking to open an office in Thunder Bay, our taxes have to be competitive,” stated Charla Robinson, Chamber President.
Chamber of Commerce Concerned on Taxes
“We understand that Council is looking to mitigate high residential and multi-residential reassessments and we believe these adjustments are fair within the current circumstances for 2013,” added Robinson. “However, we are disappointed that the business community was not consulted prior to changing these tax ratios which will result in higher business taxes.”
Thunder Bay’s commercial and industrial tax ratios are already higher than the Ontario average and include some of the highest tax ratios compared to other Northern Ontario cities.
“Municipal taxes in Timmins are lower than in Thunder Bay”, adds the Chamber President.
“Tax rates are an important factor in where people choose to start and grow their business operations and must be managed carefully,” added Robinson. “We encourage City Council to maintain focus on the current long-term strategic property tax policy that seeks to bring commercial and industrial tax rates into line with averages across the Province.”
Dealing with issues with Development
The Chamber President comments that “We are pleased to see the city is moving to address issues around development permits”. The Chamber raised the issue of a shortage of inspectors, and the City has added a third plumbing inspector.
“We are dealing with the city on a number of issues,” stated Robinson. “There is always room for improvement”.
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