Power stations do not pay property taxes to nearby municipalities, according to provincial legislation, which means the City of Moose Jaw will have to return money it accidentally levied on the Great Plains Power Station.
During city council’s December executive meeting, it voted to waive property tax arrears and penalties that city hall had applied to the property at 1400 Great Plains Power Road retroactively to June 17, 2020.
Council officially approved that motion during its Jan. 9 regular meeting after accepting the meeting minutes. City manager Jim Puffalt later spoke to the media about the situation.
“Inadvertently, we had — as the land was changing hands with SaskPower on the Great Plains Power Station — charged a small amount of property taxes,” he said. “Power-generating plants don’t pay property taxes in the province, so we had to cancel those taxes.
“Policy-wise, it has to go to council to get approved.”
Puffalt was unsure of the exact amount of taxes city hall had charged SaskPower for the land, estimating it might have been about $150.
He noted that the provincial government sets the rules around not charging taxes to power stations, which is why city hall brought the motion to council to cancel what had already been charged.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Jan. 23.
