Owners of vacant commercial and industrial buildings in Quinte West will likely soon find themselves losing out long-standing tax break.

Like Belleville and Prince Edward County, Quinte West will look at eliminating the Commercial and Industrial Vacancy rebate program, which provides up to a 30 per cent reduction in property taxes for empty commercial properties and 35 per cent for industrial.

Quinte West council approved a recommendation from the corporate and financial services committee to eliminate the program following consultation with the Chamber of Commerce and DBIA.

Up until this year, the program had been legislated by the province but new legislation allows municipalities to opt out of it.

A report from corporate and financial services director David Clazie notes the requests for the rebate have declined for the last two years after 67 applications in 2015 at a cost to the city of $51,000.

In 2014, 50 applications cost the city more than $100,000, but the report noted that several larger vacant properties have become occupied and helped reduce the amount of the rebates.

The report notes in 2016 the city received 56 applications. For 2017, the city has $55,000 budgeted for the program.

Staff has recommended elimination the program in part to save the money, but also because people feel the rebate program contributes to buildings remain vacant for extended periods of time.

“Furthermore the vacancy rebate program is funded by all property tax classes but is only available to the Commercial and Industrial tax classes,” the report notes.

“From a point of fairness the removal of the program would save all property owners and would be the fairest approach across all property tax classes.”

The deadline for notification to the province about withdrawing from the program is July 1. The report notes staff aim to have the follow up report back to the committee by May 3, well in advance of the deadline.