Would You Support A Downtown Development Tax Exemption Of 20-30 Or 40 Years?

By Ben Meisner

The issue that the citizens of Prince George must address in the coming two months is whether they support  the idea of offering 20-30 or 40 year tax exemptions to projects being built in the C-1 area (downtown) .

Will the citizens of the city support anything more than the present policy of allowing 5 years of tax exemption with a further 5 year extension?  Just wait and see.

On one hand, those people who now run the DBIA say 20-30 or 40 year tax breaks are needed in order to encourage development, while in the second breath they suggest the City of Prince George has been miss managed and we pay too much tax.

Well, if  you give one part of town a  30 year tax break,  who do you think will pick up the tab?  If one  segment of the City is paying zero, everyone else will be paying more. 

You can’t have it both ways.

It should come as no surprise to those trying to fish the idea through Council and eventually the provincial government, that there is only one taxpayer, you and me. Whether you operate a home, heavy industry or even a newspaper, if you give someone a break on their tax someone has to step up to the plate to pick up the slack.

Calling upon your children and your grand children to pay for your mistake in allowing such an exemption is irresponsible.

But remember in all this, it will be up to the City Council of Prince George  whether such an idea will be pursued.  The good news is,  with the exception of  thre councillors,  the rest of the elected body  does not support this idea.

There is however another hurdle to clear, and that is the provincial government.

Can you see the Premier being called upon to respond to a new law that allows for a 20-30 or even 40 year tax exemption knowing full well that the idea was first floated in Prince George by a set of investors, who would stand to make money at the expense of the local taxpayer? That hurdle will never pass the acid test of Gordon Campbell, he may be low in the ratings, but he is not stupid. A move such as this would expose the underbelly of not only the Liberal party in BC but the MLA’s of this area who would take the biggest hit.

So while the idea is being pumped up with lots of hot air from the new  DBIA, when the taxpayers are finished, it will fizzle with as much drama  as  a balloon with a slow leak.  City Hall will then stick the knife in a bit further and, unless we have read the Premier all together wrong over these many years, he will put the finishing touches to it.

I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.

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