The Royal Canadian Legion 260 was denied its request for a permissive tax exemption by the District of 100 Mile House at the Oct. 11 council meeting.
Legion 260 president Bev Torrance says the news is “disappointing”.
“I think they should look at what we put back into the community from our gaming funds.
“We are a service organization, we’re not-for-profit, and we’re here to help our veterans and their widows.”
The decision was made without the input of councillors Bill Hadden and Mel Torgerson, who left the meeting due to a conflict of interest by virtue of their being legion members.
Mayor Mitch Campsall says because the exemptions can’t be provided to other businesses in the municipality with similar sales as the legion’s, it would be unfair to grant assistance to only one establishment.
“It’s hard to give somebody a tax exemption when they’re competing for the same customers [as those who pay], it’s unfair.”
The tax load would shift onto the other commercial businesses, including those that compete with them for liquor and food sales, he explains.
Despite Councillor Dave Mingo’s comments that council should consider the contributions the legion provides as it “gives so much back to the community,” in the end, all remaining council members vetoed its request for tax exemption at this time.
Campsall says a “selling feature” for the final decision was the fact that the legion is currently making a profit, according to the legion members he had talked to.
“If there was an issue, and it wasn’t profitable and it was dying, then we’d have to look at it differently.”
Legion 260 treasurer Ken Tassel says, in this economy, the legion does not make a profit.
The legion doles out more than $10,000 in grants to local charities and individuals over the course of each year, Torrance notes, mostly from the gaming money it raises and annual poppy donations.
By comparison, the District of 100 Mile House allocates between $15,000-$26,000 in grants annually, plus free rent provided for arts, culture and the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce.
