Challenge
The Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition (VFTC) is a non-partisan group representing all major business organizations in the city and 46,000 businesses. The VFTC is advocating for equitable taxation between commercial and residential property owners. Vancouver businesses pay about five times the rate of residents in municipal property taxes. In 2005, Contemporary was retained to provide public relations and advocacy expertise, as well as organizational support.
Taxation is a complex technical subject that poses serious communications challenges in reaching out to coalition members, media, citizens, city employees and elected officials.
Our goal was to raise awareness about the property tax issue, develop a constituency of support and secure a commitment from the City of Vancouver to reduce commercial property taxes.
Solution
Contemporary developed both comprehensive political and communication strategies and campaigns each year. The strategy was to make the issue transparent and easy to understand and to show how property taxes impact employment, neighborhoods and the economic sustainability of Vancouver.
Our broad activities included government relations, media relations and membership communications. We also created communications and media materials, submissions and reports, technical materials, and a coalition website, and conducted polling.
Media relations played an integral role in our efforts to raise awareness of the issue and advocate for property tax reductions. We initiated a proactive, targeted and ongoing media relations campaign, including news releases, backgrounders, letters to the editor, opinion pieces and media events. We also trained all VFTC spokespeople.
Any discussion of property taxes is technical, complex and difficult for most people to truly understand. Contemporary developed technical and detailed policy background materials, policy recommendations, media information, committee reports and public campaigns that made the issue clear.
Results
Since the first campaign in November 2005, the VFTC has repeatedly demonstrated the detrimental impact of inequitable commercial property taxes on economic sustainability. Property taxes are now a major media story and an ongoing political issue for city council and staff.
To date, we have generated more than 125 media stories on TV and radio, and in newspapers. Our letters to the editor and opinion pieces are published regularly. The VFTC is recognized as an important and credible source for property tax opinion and for any fiscal issue at city hall.
Our approach made property taxes a key media issue in every civic election and annual budget. We also increased public awareness of the issue and the profile of the coalition.
Most importantly, our communications efforts since 2005 have so far resulted in a cumulative savings of approximately $114 million in taxes for commercial property owners and Vancouver businesses.
