Westlock County’s municipal tax incentive bylaw provides three years of tax relief for new buildings and renovations, with a 100% rebate in the first year for projects above $1 million.
At their August 15 committee of the whole (COW) meeting, councilors addressed the new Bylaw 49-2023 Non-Residential Property Tax Incentive for nearly thirty minutes before unanimously passing the eight-page document shortly thereafter at their regular meeting — administration first presented the concept of a tax incentive bylaw to council at its July 18 COW meeting. Administration first proposed the bylaw at its July 18 COW meeting.
Before passing the decree, councilors spent most of the debate revising its rebate application form language. This was a positive move toward Westlock economic development.
Tax Bill Reduction on New Non-Residential Build
New non-residential construction or renovations between $50,000 and $1 million receive an 80% tax bill reduction in the first year, 65% in the second year, and 50% in the third year — for renovations, the rebate will be applied only to the “increased assessment amount” of the project.
While Councilor Stuart Fox-Robinson and several other councilors questioned whether the $50,000 threshold was too low, he stated that “having this is better than not having it.”
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How Does Rebate for Renovations Apply?
The rebate for renovations or new construction applies only to the municipal tax element of a taxpayer’s bill for projects exceeding $1 million.
Wiese also mentioned that some municipalities offer tax incentives to householders who undertake renovations and suggested that they may want to consider this in the future.
Section 364.2 of the Municipal Government (Property Tax Incentives) Amendment Act, enacted in 2019 as a result of the passage of Bill 7, permits municipalities to grant partial or complete tax exemptions and tax deferrals to non-residential properties.
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