The proposed Provincial Budget for 2019 has a number of items that are of note for people who own investment real estate. In a precious article, we talked about how investment property owners may be impacted should the budget pass. That article focuses on different measures that will impact your costs. This article focuses on how the new budget impacts your tax position as an owner.

As a disclaimer: Amhurst manages rental properties for owners, and is not a tax authority, income tax specialist, or The Government of Alberta. This article is not written to provide tax advice for your situation, nor can we accurately predict what the government will do next. Please consult your accountant or tax professional for advice on your specific situation.

Corporate Income Tax Reduction

This is a big one for owners who hold their rental property (or properties) in a corporate structure such as a hold-co, corporation or other incorporation structure. The Alberta Government decreased the corporate tax rate from 12% to 11% on July 1, 2019, and has announced a further decrease of one percent per year each year until 2022. Decreasing corporate taxes to 8% in 2022 will make Alberta the province with the lowest tax rate in the country, and will give Alberta a lower combined (federal and provincial) tax rate than 44 American States (page 8).

In doing so, The Alberta Government will be looking to make Alberta a more competitive place for people to invest. This is important for owners who hold their real estate in a Canadian Controlled Private Corporation (CCPC) and who are seeing positive cash flow. This move decreases the income that your corporation would pay on income made over the course of the year, and also would decrease the capital gains tax if you sell an investment property.

The government also announced that they would hold the small business deduction at 2%. Small businesses are currently taxed on active income up to $500,000 at this amount. Because it is active income, rental income would not apply nor likely would selling a rental property. Discuss this further with your tax accountant to see if this is applicable to your situation.

Increasing the Capital Cost Allowance

Houses are not designed to last forever. Over time, the physical building depreciates and upgrades are made. The Income Tax Act allows for individuals and businesses to claim the depreciation on the value of a capital expenditure based on a fixed formula.

The current budget allows for an accelerated capital cost allowance (CCA), in line with the Federal program already in place. While currently unclear, this likely will not apply to new purchases of income properties. It seems to be geared towards capital for clean energy and more active income ventures. Specifics on this matter may be introduced down the line, but it appears to be more clearly for other capital programs. As noted above, speak with your tax adviser to see if this is something worth doing in your situation.

Municipal Funding and Property Taxes

In today’s economic climate the government says on page 129 that ” When hard-working Albertans see their incomes shrink and struggle to make ends meet, they have to face their fiscal realities – and so do governments “. The Province will cut municipal finding quite substantially. This includes cuts to operating funds, grants programs, capital projects, transportation projects and more.

In order to make up for a shortfall in revenue, expect property taxes to increase substantially next year. This likely will hit both commercial, owners who have already seen huge increases in the past year, as well as residential owners.

Expect in the new year that your property taxes will increase, but with the economy where it is, it may be tough to pass the cost on to your tenants. At Amhurst, we constantly watch the market to determine where and when rents can be increased. If the market does improve in the new year and the prevailing market rents increase, it would be ideal to pass any increase on to your tenants, but it is unlikely at this point. This may be a landlord cost for the foreseeable future.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, there is a little bit to like for owners, especially those who own their properties in a corporate structure, as well as a little bit not to like, in terms of increasing property taxes. This budget is a big step for the province in terms of fiscal pruning, but expect more significant changes in the upcoming Federal Budget.

Photo courtesy of Jason MacIntosh of The Canadian Press