When it comes to property taxes, businesses in Saskatoon enjoy the lowest commercial to residential tax ratio in the entire country, at 1.71. That’s well below the national average of 2.84, looking at 11 major cities. It means that the Saskatoon commercial tax rate would be 1.71 times higher than the residential rate would be, on a similarly valued property. The figures come from the Canadian Property Tax Rate Benchmark Report for 2019, from Altus Group. According to the report, the estimated commercial property tax in Saskatoon per $1,000 of assessment stands at $15.25. That is well below the national average of $24.33. But for residential properties, the estimated $8.91 is equal to the national average. According to Altus, the ratios for Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon have all remained stable since 2017. Regina posted the second lowest ratio at 1.74.

In its case for lower commercial rates, Altus says, “Lower commercial property taxes help make cities more competitive, promote job growth and investment, and subsequently generate more stable and sustainable revenue.”