No tax exemption for Regina Flying Club
Club says it's experiencing financial hard times
The Regina Flying Club says it's strapped for cash, but city council says it's not going to give it a tax break.
The club pays property tax on its property at the Regina airport and this year owes $16,939.73.
The club runs a flight training school for recreational and commercial pilots, but due to weather and other factors, flight hours have declined, cutting into the bottom line.
Last year, the club ended up with a deficit of about $30,000 on revenues of $760,000.
"We are experiencing a bit of a downturn," Dave Atkinson, the club's general manager, told council on Monday night. "Hopefully, we will improve our circumstance."
However, the mayor and councillors voted against a one-year exemption.
"As a matter of principle, I'm very, very reluctant to grant an exemption from a revenue stream," Coun. Bob Hawkins told Atkinson. "Work out some other ways to bolster your revenues."
Hawkins suggested raising membership fees might be one way to accomplish that.