Lethbridge County passes tax bylaws

Lethbridge County Council has passed the 2024 Business Tax and Business Tax Rate Bylaws.

As noted in the agenda report contained within the April 18 regular Lethbridge County Council meeting, Bylaw 24-008 was prepared for 2024 with no changes in content from the 2023 Bylaw except for changes to the bylaw number and dates.

The County’s first Business Tax Bylaw was brought forward in 2017, and has been passed annually since.

The Bylaw allows for business taxes to be collected from specific businesses operating in Lethbridge County as outlined in the bylaw, and is implemented to generate revenues for the municipality, which have been projected in the 2024 budget at $1.5 million, and was noted during deliberation of the 2024 Capital and Operating Budgets which was approved by council in Dec. 2023. Capital and operating funding needed to support the County’s “Market Access Network Program,” totals $2.15 million, of which $1.5 million is to be generated from the 2024 business taxes.

Council passed all three readings of Bylaw 24-008. A Business Tax Rate Bylaw must also be passed each year. The bylaw imparts the County with the authority to levy the tax and identifies details of the current business tax. As with Business Tax Bylaw (24-008), Bylaw 24-009 was presented for 2024 with no changes in content apart from the dates.

Council previously considered reviewing the business tax rate for animal units and discussed the merits of implementing a rate increase on the basis of inflationary cost increases since 2017 related to materials and equipment. The report notes Council has continued to engage in discussions regarding applicable increases and amounts and directed administration to include in the 2024 Business Tax Rate Bylaw, a 2 per cent increase to the animal unit rate amounting to a 5 cent increase per animal unit(up to $2.55 from $2.50).

All three readings of Bylaw 24-009 were passed by Council.