Nearly 20 percent of Prince Rupert residents have signed a newly submitted petition calling for the Province to scrap the Port Tax Cap.
Originally introduced in 2004, the cap sets the maximum mill rate that municipalities can collect in property taxes from certain port terminals.
Currently, it restricts them from charging more than $22.50 per $1,000 in assessed value.
It was intended to be a temporary measure to inspire port investment, but was made permanent by the BC Government in 2014.
Despite the Port of Prince Rupert facilitating more than $60 billion in annual global trade, the City is facing an infrastructure deficit of $600 million.
In an effort to combat rising residential tax rates to compensate, the Scrap the Tax Cap Campaign was launched in September.
Since then, a petition created by the group calling for an end to the cap or an exemption for the city has received nearly 1,800 signatures.
North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice presented the petition in Legislature on Wednesday, calling the tax unfair on homeowners.
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