Wildfire-impacted businesses can apply for tax payment deferral in Manitoba

Businesses in Manitoba affected by wildfires will be allowed to request the waiving of penalties resulting from not being able to pay their taxes.

Starting this week, businesses will be able to apply for relief on provincially administered tax payments if they've been affected by the fires, the Manitoba government said in a news release Thursday.

The province said eligible businesses can request the penalty and interest waiver once they're reasonably able to file and pay levies like the retail sales tax and the health and post-secondary education tax.

Finance Minister Adrien Sala said in the release that the government has created the option because many businesses could have lost access to records and technical resources because of the fires, or may just not have any capacity to file at this time.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business says the tax deferrals are a good start, but impacted businesses will need more help.

'A lot of uncertainty'

Brianna Solberg, CFIB's provincial director for Manitoba, said in an interview ahead of the announcement the province should implement tax forgiveness or some other form of assistance to help them while they face a loss in revenue.

"We've heard from a lot of business owners, especially those in northern, remote communities and who operate in the tourism industry that … there's a lot of uncertainty," Solberg said.

"Potentially, some tourism operators [would be] missing the entire 2025 season," she said. "To have to pay profit-insensitive taxes at the end of the day might force them certainly to make some tough decisions."

Solberg said the province could make its disaster financial assistance program — which is activated when natural disasters cause widespread damage and helps business recover from uninsurable losses — available to businesses to cover key losses.

There are "certainly second-hand impacts on businesses who may not be directly in the regions where fires are occurring," she said. "Let's make sure that any sort of financial assistance that's available is broad and flexible to help all of those businesses who have been impacted."

Information for evacuees, including what other resources are available for them, can be found on the MBReady website.

Find the latest wildfire information at these sources:

• Canadian wildfire map
• Province of Manitoba fire bulletins
• CBC's wildfire tracker
• Communities under evacuations in Manitoba

Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@findhelp.ca.