SURREY – Were you shocked by your property tax notice this week with local governments jacking up taxes by huge amounts thanks to “artificially inflated” home prices in BC, especially the Lower Mainland.
Homeowners concerned earlier this year by substantial increases to their property assessments are now learning the actual impact, as property-tax notices are delivered throughout BC, including the Indo-Canadian dominated city of Surrey.
For some, the annual bill is arriving with a sting – and City of Surrey officials, at least, are hearing the angst.
“I’m sure our property-tax line has been inundated with calls,” financial services manager Suzanne Fillion told the Surrey Now newspaper Wednesday. “It’s definitely a difficult time.
“We haven’t seen an increase like this in quite some time, in assessed values.
“I thought it was bad when we saw 20 per cent increases in South Surrey.”
Fillion told the Now Surrey began sending out tax notices last Friday to the approximately 145,000 residential properties in the city. For about 58,000 – those whose property’s assessed value increased by more than the city average of 36 per cent – the bill will be noticeably higher than last year.
And for some, the increase is dramatic.
“If you saw 100 per cent increase in assessed value, your tax bill will go up by 65 per cent, plus the five per cent that council approved for taxes,” Fillion said.
South Surrey’s Rob Neil said he opened his tax notice on Monday to an increase of 31 per cent over last year, to $5,301.65 from $4,045.85.
According to BCA figures, 1.38 per cent of property owners – 27,903 out of 2,017,364 – appealed assessments this year.
