Prince George, B.C.- It’s been a long road, but the  Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul have finally   cleared the hurdles  necessary to  get a tax break from the City of Prince George.

At issue  was the  tax bill for the  thrift stores  operated by the two organizations.  The tax exemption policy did not allow  for any  commercial operations to qualify for a tax exemption.  Since the thrift stores  charge  a fee for their stock, it meant they  couldn’t qualify.

But the policy has been revised to  allow such  ventures to apply for a tax exemption   as the policy now allows “commercial activity as long as it is not in competition with for-profit businesses.”

In the case of the Salvation Army,  the 2016 bill was in the range of $12 thousand dollars,  money that organization says could be better used by channelling it into  the programs  it offers.    “We first started talking to the City about this issue in 2014” says  Salvation Army Business Manager Bill Glasgow.  “We were told at that time we  hadn’t  applied for the exemption  on time.”  But then  things changed as the Salvation Army  opened the Curt Garland Centre of Hope  on  18th Avenue, a facility which includes a thrift store. Glasgow says while the thrift store is a retail operation “it helps fund  the ministry that we  operate in Prince George.”

Revisions to the Tax Exemption bylaw not only add the Salvation Army and  St. Vincent de Paul  thrift stores,  but add a few other  properties have been cleared  for exemption from municipal property taxes  in  both 2017 and 2018.

“I’m hopeful that  the City will keep it going  past those two years” says Glasgow.

Under the Community Charter   organizations  are expected to   reapply annually  for the exemption.

Other additions  to the tax exemption  bylaw include:

• The Prince George Native Friendship Centre’s  Ketso Yoh Men’s shelter,
• P.G. Hospice  House
• AiMHi  on Eaglenest Crescent

Council held a special  meeting yesterday to pass the bylaw revisions  as  the changes  had to be in place by October 31st.

Based on the 2016  tax bills, the total  value of all  permissive tax exemptions granted ( including  the new ones  added yesterday)  is   just over $1.8 million dollars.