Farm and business groups back proposed changes to family transfers

Farm and business groups back proposed changes to family transfers

Groups say current rules make it easier to sell to a non-family member

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture and the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses have welcomed an NDP MP’s proposal to ease the transfers of business to the next generation. Quebec MP Guy Caron’s bill says the small business corporations including farms and fishing operations should be able to be transferred to younger family members without being

Local government wants greater share of tax dollar

Local government wants greater share of tax dollar

Municipalities say the money is needed to sustain key infrastructure

Most Manitobans agree local councils should get a fairer share of infrastructure tax dollars and have greater say in how they’re spent. That’s according to a recent poll conducted for the Association of Manitoba Municipalities which showed 85 per cent of those surveyed by NPG Research in January think local government should have access to


canadian money

Municipalities want their PST money back

One level of government should not tax another, AMM delegates say

Municipalities pay millions in provincial sales tax (PST) and they want their money back. “The need for municipal dollars to be returned to the hands of municipalities is a resonating theme of this convention,” said Association of Manitoba Municipalities president Chris Goertzen at the opening of last week’s 17th annual convention here. At issue is

Farmland isn’t a gold mine — it’s better

London/Reuters — Farmland values in Britain will rise 37 per cent by 2016, beating forecast growth for gold, oil, 10-year British government bonds and homes in London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, according to data compiled by Oxford Economics and the research arm of property consultant Savills. Savills director Alex Lawson cited the need for increased global


Latest provincial flood relief pledges “smoke and mirrors,” fumes St. Laurent reeve

There are demands that province compensate 100 per cent for flood damage 
caused by “unnatural” increased flows from the Portage Diversion

A new one-time tax credit announced by the province to relieve the financial burden on municipalities around Lake Manitoba is not enough for at least one RM ravaged by flooding last year. “This tax credit is inadequate. It doesn’t even come close to bridging the financial deficit we’re facing in this municipality due to the

Agriculture gets little mention in new provincial budget

Gas taxes are up, riparian credit is gone 
and nutrient management gets a 10 per cent 
tax credit in Manitoba’s 2012 budget

Farm leaders were underwhelmed by the first budget from Manitoba’s former agriculture minister. “I was with other farm leaders afterwards and we really didn’t have much to talk about,” said Doug Chorney, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers. Finance Minister Stan Struthers’ budget included a top-up of $15 an acre for Excess Moisture Insurance but that


Three tax changes could boost agriculture

The CFA is lobbying for changes to three federal income tax rules and the Agri-Invest program it says would attract badly needed investment and young people into farming, while encouraging small operations to grow. Garnet Etsell, a member of the Tax Working Group of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture said in an interview the group



Poll shows support for infrastructure renewal tax

More Manitobans appear ready to support a one-cent municipal sales tax if the extra revenue is put toward fixing roads, bridges, water, sewer and recreational facilities, according to a new poll. Sixty-four per cent told Probe Research, in a poll conducted for the Association of Manitoba Municipalities, they support that idea. That’s a jump of

Education Tax Needs More Attention

Election promises are falling short of expectations for those who want school taxes removed from farmland and farm production buildings, according to the Manitoba Education Financing Coalition (MEFC). MEFC launched its letspayfair.com campaign in early September, urging candidates in the October 4 provincial election to move to a system where education is not funded through