Myth vs. Reality: A Small Business Perspective on Local Taxation

Nova Scotia’s commercial property owners are paying as much as four times more than residents.

Halifax, April 18, 2017 – The property tax burden on Nova Scotia’s small businesses is significant, unfair and has consequences on business’ ability to grow. This is the conclusion of a new report released today by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

“Local tax systems for Nova Scotia’s commercial property owners are broken,” said Jordi Morgan, CFIB’s Atlantic Vice-President. “Businesses are paying much more than their fair share. This report is more evidence of how local taxation dampens growth and dispels some common misconceptions around commercial property taxes.”

Morgan went on to say “By increasing understanding of how the system affects entrepreneurship, it’s our hope that local governments will take action to address the unfairness.”

Myth vs. Reality: A Small Business Perspective on Local Taxation examines the property tax gap between residential and commercial tax rates across Nova Scotia’s towns, municipalities and regional municipalities. It found that in 2016, commercial tax rates in Nova Scotia ranged from 1.4 times the residential rate in Shelburne to 4.2 in Guysborough.

To arrange an interview with Jordi Morgan, contact Ryan Richard at 902 420-1997 or ryan.richard@cfib.ca.

CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses with 109,000 members across every sector and region, of which 5,200 are in Nova Scotia.