West Vancouver residents were expecting a tax increase of 6.07%, however, the council has now cut the rate to 4.15%
West Vancouver Councillor, Sharon Thompson said “As much as we like to believe we’re all well-heeled here in West Vancouver, there’s a lot of people who would be really impacted by a big tax hike again along with the other burdens of inflation. The feeling to keep the tax rate low really came from the added burdens of inflation that we’re seeing, and our utility rates are going through the roof.”
Last week, Vancouver city council approved a 10.7% tax increase, much of it earmarked for funding increases to the Vancouver Police Department. Similarly, City of Surrey’s Council had been set to introduce a 17.5% tax increase, more than half of it dedicated to reversing the city’s transition to a municipal police force.
"After Mayor Brenda Locke said Tuesday that the city could potentially shave five points off that increase because it had secured nearly $90 million in provincial infrastructure, council voted to send the budget back to staff. It’s believed the city will now deliver a tax hike of about 12.5 per cent." (Little, 2023)
Port Coquitlam has managed to keep its property tax hike this year to 3.3%
"The latest figures peg January inflation up 6.2 per cent year-over-year in B.C., with food up 10.2 per cent, transportation up 6.8 per cent and shelter up 6.7 per cent." (Little, 2023)
Source: Little, S. (2023). West Vancouver property tax hike smaller than expected. Global News. Retrieved from https://globalnews.ca/news/9536973/west-vancouver-property-tax-hike/