TORONTO, Ont. — A recently tabled report by MPP Marcel Beaubien (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex) calls for a 30 per cent municipal property tax break for Ontario trucking companies.

In his report, Beaubien recommends that trucking terminal lands should be treated the same as rail yards and qualify for a maximum 30 per cent discount in most municipalities. Rail yards are the only industry property in Ontario specifically designated as excess land for the commercial property class. Rail yard lands do not necessarily have to meet the general definition of excess land to qualify for the municipal discount.

But under current legislation, trucking companies with excess land around a terminal can only qualify for the excess land sub-class discount if a portion of the land is left completely unused. The portion would also have to be in excess of zoning requirements related to the terminal building.