Carstairs
Review the Business Climate
How it's done
The business climate is the general economic environment that local businesses operate in. Reviewing and understanding the local business climate provides valuable insights about the economy, costs, risks, and incentives that may impact the success of your business. This activity will guide you to better understand the business climate in Carstairs and help you answer the following fundamental questions.
What is the business climate in Carstairs?
We have compiled the most important aspects of Carstairs’s business climate as an interactive dashboard below. This dashboard provides valuable economic, resident, household, dwelling and development indicators that may influence the success of your business.
What costs and assistance should I know about?
Whether you have a new or existing business it is critical to be aware of costs, incentives and grants that impact your business. This dashboard provides you with a snapshot of the major costs of conducting business in Carstairs and assistance available to Carstairs businesses.
Alberta has one of the most competitive tax environments in North America, and is the only province that does not have a provincial retail sales tax. Alberta has no provincial capital or payroll taxes.
Starting January 2017, the small business tax rate in Alberta was cut from 3% to 2% giving Alberta the second lowest small business tax rate in the country, tied with Saskatchewan.
The Alberta government also offers additional tax credits to encourage capital investment into a wide variety of sectors.
Alberta Investor Tax Credit (AITC)
Capital Investment Tax Credit (CITC)
Specific information on Assessments and Tax in Carstairs can be found on the Town of Carstairs Property Tax web page by clicking here.
Want to compare the mill rate between communities click here.
For the most up-to-date development fee schedule click here to review the current Rates and Fees Bylaw and for development applications click here.
The Town of Carstairs Standard Development Agreement can be found here.
Water and Sewer
Residents in the Town of Carstairs receive their water from the Anthony Henday Water Treatment Plant at Innisfail, a safe, reliable source of potable water. This water treatment plant incorporates state-of-the art membrane filtration. The Town of Carstairs provides water, wastewater (sewer), garbage, composting and recycling services. Sewage treatment is provided by four short and two long detention lagoons.
For Water and Waste Water rates in the Town of Carstairs, please refer to the current Rates and Fees Bylaw by clicking here.
Alberta’s wage and salary rates are competitive with the rest of Canada and with the United States. When total compensation rates are compared, Alberta provides a significant cost advantage compared to the U.S., largely because of publicly funded health care.
Detailed wage and salary information for over 400 occupations in Alberta is available here.
Alberta is one of the most affordable places in Canada to live. Here’s a look at some of the financial benefits of life in Alberta.
Higher incomes
Families in Alberta typically enjoy a higher family income than other parts of Canada. Median total single-family household income is $141,754.50. Also, 50.1% of household incomes are equal to or greater than $125,000.
Lower cost of living
Alberta offers many cost-of-living advantages:
- No provincial health-care premiums.
- No provincial sales tax (PST). Residents in every other province pay up to 10 per cent in addition to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) paid by all Canadians.
- Tax rebates and credits are available to further help with your finances.
You can compare how Canadians spend their incomes in major cities here.
Affordable housing
Owning your own home is more affordable in Alberta than in many other Canadian cities. Alberta housing prices are among the lowest when compared to equivalent cities in British Columbia or Ontario.
Every year, people from across Canada and all over the world choose Alberta as an ideal place to work and live. Alberta's high standard of living, diverse and welcoming communities, and beautiful landscapes make it a wonderful place to call home.
Businesses in Alberta benefit from:
No provincial sales tax
No payroll tax
No inventory tax
No machinery and equipment tax
No health care premiums
Free provincial health care insurance
Lower personal income tax rates
The lowest fuel tax among provinces
Small business income tax rate of just 2%
Corporate income tax rate of 11%
The Workers Compensation Board (WCB) of Alberta was created by government to administer the Workers Compensation Act for the province’s workers and employers. Funded by employers the WCB provides cost-effective disability and liability insurance for work related injury and illness. The WCB compensates workers for lost income and coordinates the health care and other services that may be required to recover from a work-related injury.
Learn More: Workers’ Compensation Board of Alberta
Workers Compensation
| Average Cost for All Manufacturing (per $100 Payroll) | (Per $100 of insurable earnings) | $0.24 - $2.94 |
| Average Rate for Office Workers | (Per $100 of insurable earnings) | $0.13 - $0.25 |
| Maximum Weekly Benefit | (90% of maximum insurable earnings $98,700) | $1,225.61 |
Source: WCB rates by sector and industry
The Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) is the governing federal body for all legislation related to employment insurance (EI) in Canada. Businesses must deduct employment insurance from an employee’s insurable earnings if that employee is in insurable employment during the year. Insurable employment includes most employment in Canada under a contract of service (employer – employee relationship). There is no age limit for deducting EI premiums.
Learn More: Canada Revenue Agency, Employment Insurance for Employers
Employment Insurance
| Taxable Base | Annual maximum insurable earnings | $51,300.00 |
| Rate % | Employer contribution rate | 2.282% |
| Average Among Existing Employers | Annual maximum employer contribution | $1,170.67 |
Source: Payworks Payroll Legislation
How do I use this information?
Having access to business climate statistics and information is one thing, but it's quite another to use data effectively and in a way that will benefit your business. This next section will help you do just that. Learn how to use this information to make better business decisions.
Monitor the local business climate
On-going assessment of the business climate is an essential part of operating a competitive business. In any business climate, there are numerous factors outside your control that will impact your business, both positively and negatively. The health of the economy impacts all businesses, but small businesses usually feel the effect of economic changes faster than big businesses. Improvements in the economy typically provide a rapid increase in new opportunities for small businesses, while an economic downturn can have a significant and prolonged negative impact.
Unfortunately, you can’t influence the economy, but you can monitor the business climate indicators provided above and then take the necessary actions to minimize risks to your business. Staying up to date with the business climate can also help you identify new opportunities that your business can take advantage of.
Know your costs
All industries are unique and incur different types of costs when starting or operating. Understanding these costs is essential when it comes to setting prices, budgeting and planning for growth or downturns. We’ve provided some of the local costs associated with taxes, development and labour that often get overlooked by businesses. There may be other municipal and provincial costs that apply to your business so we encourage you to contact us to find out more.
Where can I learn more about the business climate?
While we are providing you with a range of valuable information about the business climate, the fact is that there's much more available. In this section we provide you with links to other websites that will supplement our information and help to keep your finger on the pulse.
There may also be other municipal and provincial costs that apply to your business so we encourage you to contact us to find out more.
| Alberta Economic Dashboard |
| Alberta's Treasury Board and Finance |
| Statistics Canada |
| OECD |
