What is going on at the City of Victoria?
That’s the question most Victoria taxpayers are asking after learning of a proposed 8.99 per cent property tax increase in 2023.
Despite economic factors including inflation, labour shortages, and supply chain disruption challenges, Kelowna is looking at a 4.01 per cent increase. That includes a special one per cent levy for public safety.
Despite covering funding additions of one per cent for infrastructure renewal, two per cent for policing services, and two per cent for the remainder of municipal services, Vancouver is mulling over a five per cent hike.
Despite RCMP costs expected to go up seven per cent this year, Richmond property owners could be paying 5.88 percent more in taxes in 2023.
Often the outlier, the City of Victoria wants 8.99 per cent more in property taxes to run the municipality, That’s far above inflation and despite healthy development growth and increased assessment, significant reserves, and a substantial annual surplus in 2021.
Then if you are unfortunate enough to operate a business, your final property tax bill will be 3.646 times as much as a residential property per $1,000 worth of assessment. It’s all paid for by customers.
Then, which business or homeowner can afford to voluntarily contribute to a reconciliation donation fund, beyond what’s already provided by taxpayers in an annual city grant?
Council (and staff) need to also be asked about priorities, especially when you consider ongoing substandard critical infrastructure such as roads, swimming pools, park washrooms, and other public facilities.
In these extraordinary inflationary and possibly recessionary times, what instructions were provided to staff in preparing this proposed budget? Business as usual is surely not an option.
So, coddy wobbles, 8.99 per cent !
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Draft Financial Plan 2023-27, City of Victoria, Jan. 2023.
I have googled and found that average wage growth in Canada for the past 30 years (1992-2022) was 2.45%. I have often wondered how much our property taxes have increased over the years but have been unable to find any data on this subject other than for a single year. It would seem that tracking government spending is not as popular as tracking worker’s wages. It is not sustainable for the various levels of government to be taxing us with increases that are greater than the average increase in wages and for retirees on a fixed income the squeeze is even worse. The proposed 8.99% increase is way out of line. Thanks to Grumpy Taxpayers for bringing this and other subjects to the public’s attention.