Catalyst Paper is seeking a tax break in Port Alberni, BC. The company says it is being overtaxed and wants the mat…
Catalyst Paper is seeking a tax break in Port Alberni, BC. The company says it is being overtaxed and wants the matter investigated and reconciled.
A report by westcoaster.ca confirmed the company is prepared to pay only part of its property tax bill, as it does not use many municipal services.
“Catalyst’s municipal property tax is unsustainable,” westcoater.ca reported Lyn Brown, vice president of corporate relations and social responsibility for Catalyst as saying. She confirmed the company is charged at rates that are more than 20 times higher than residential rates in some municipalities. “In Port Alberni, it is about 11 times higher than the residential rate,” Brown said.
Port Alberni Mayor McRae says talks are ongoing with the company and they are willing to provide Catalyst with a reduction that translates to 33% over a six-year period.
Westcoater.ca reported Lyn Brown as saying the current economic situation means tax cuts need to run deeper in order to keep its mill in Port Alberni and the jobs it supports, sustainable.
In 2008, the company’s total property tax bill in Port Alberni was $6.5 million.
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