Dear Editor:
I have just received my B.C. Assessment notice.
The fact that my assessment has jumped 25 per cent in the last 12 months does not surprise me.
A third of the properties on my block have now been replaced with larger homes.
My wife and I are on fixed incomes. We have no plans to sell the house. We have not made any major improvements to this house, since we moved in 25 years ago.
Yet not only has the assessment of our property gone up 25 per cent but the valuation of this old house has increased by $20,000!
This will result in the taxes that we have to pay being increased commensurately.
Something is very wrong and quite unfair in this arrangement.
The fact that others are able to buy, rebuild and sell homes for profit in our neighbourhood should have no relation to us as existing homeowners having to pay more taxes.
This iniquitous situation has to be remedied.
We need to lobby our MLAs. They must amend the legislation as follows:
1. Any increase in tax rates must only apply to properties which have been improved.
2. Existing householders to be exempt from any such increases.
3. If and when such properties are sold, the sales amount will be subject to those taxes as will the future assessment of the property.
I will be sending this message to my MLA and I would encourage others to feel free to “cut and paste” and do the same.
Peter Miller
West Vancouver
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