Dear Editor:
I like so many are concerned about the recent B.C. land assessments, as seniors it is a serious problem. I sold my property in Vancouver after my wife died in 2012 and moved to North Vancouver to a smaller house.
My lot in Vancouver in 1964 was assessed at $10,000 and when I sold it was assessed at over $600,000; that is about 60 times greater.
I was earning just under $4 per hour in 1964 and 60 times $4 would mean that I would have to be earning $240 per hour to keep up to the assessments in 2012. The old age pension was $75 per month in 1964; therefore our pensions would have to be between $4,000 and $7,500 per month to keep up to assessments.
I have a lady friend and because they have built monster houses near her, her assessments went up from $940,000 to $1.29 million in one year.
This is probably going to make her ineligible for the homeowners’ grant. She has a basic pension. She is in her late 80s and has worked hard to own and keep up this house which is about 1,100 square feet. She loves her home and is finding this situation very stressful.
She has a pacemaker and her condition has me worried. It was suggested to her to defer her taxes. This is an option, but I do not think she wants to do this.
Our governments are making us all live beyond our means, and I think that they are out of control and are going to far. I also think that according to the Confederation agreement as written by our founding fathers in 1867 that what they are doing is illegal.
I personally think that we need a grandparent clause that will protect seniors from these highly inflated assessments as they have no connection to the real value of property and are just driven by the market, foreign investment and the aspirations of our government.
The government should have to live like the rest of us and live within the means provided. We who have our assets paid for had to be frugal to avoid debt, now the government wants to force us into debt.
The only winners are the real estate industry and of course: the taxman!!
Hank Pierce
North Vancouver
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