Property owners in Gibsons and Sechelt will be getting their tax notices over the next couple of weeks, and both municipalities are encouraging people to take advantage of online and other payment methods that don’t require a trip to the offices.
Both municipalities have also made changes to the late payment deadlines.
Sechelt council decided to impose a five per cent penalty on July 3 for residential properties, with a further five per cent if the tax bill is still unpaid by Oct. 1. Gibsons council voted to do the same for residential taxpayers in the town.
The two municipalities are taking different approaches on the late payment deadline for commercial properties.
As part of its COVID relief plan for businesses, the province required local governments to give commercial properties, as well as light industry and some other classes, until Oct. 1 to pay without penalty.
In Sechelt, a five per cent late payment fee will kick in Oct. 1 with an additional five per cent charge if the bill isn’t paid by Dec. 1.
In Gibsons, the full 10 per cent late payment fee will be applied as of Oct. 1
Municipalities across the province are also expecting more people may choose to defer property taxes this year if they’re eligible and for a possible increase in the number of outright defaults.
The deferment option is currently available to families supporting a child under 18, seniors over 55, surviving spouses of any age and persons with disabilities.
When property tax is deferred, the province pays the municipality on behalf of the property owner.
Earlier this month the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) called on the province to expand the eligibility to any residential property owner.
“While the program’s eligibility covers a significant number of residents, there remains a sizeable number of ineligible residents that require support,” UBCM president Maja Tait said in a May 8 letter to Municipal Affairs Minister Selina Robinson. “An expanded program would mitigate the risk of delinquencies, and provide a greater degree of certainty for budgeting and long-term financial planning.”
Premier John Horgan was non-committal when asked about the UBCM’s request at his May 13 news conference, and said he hadn’t yet seen the UBCM letter.
“We have been working, [Finance] Minister [Carole] James and I, to try and find ways to ensure that we're keeping people as whole as we can, during this very, very difficult time,” he said. “We're looking forward to proposals from UBCM and others about how we can better support landowners, homeowners, [and] communities. The sky is really the limit on the requests, but it’s not necessarily the limit on our ability to meet those demands.”
