Tax bills will soon be in the mail now that Trail council officially passed the city’s 2019 tax rates bylaw.
What that means for the homeowner of an average-priced property is a $49 increase, or 3.5 per cent, over last year.
In other words, the owner of a house valued at $218,000 per BC Assessment, will owe $1289 to the city on, or before, July 2.
Of interest, is that unlike the past four years when pricey builds like the Riverfront Centre and Trail Sk8Park were at the forefront - that rate sat closer to six per cent.
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“Property tax notices will be put in the mail on Friday so people should expect to receive them early next week,” confirmed Chief Administrative Officer David Perehudoff.
“The property tax due date is close-of-business (4:30 p.m.) on Tuesday, July 2nd,” he said. “People can pay property taxes and claim the homeowner grant online. Also, the homeowner grant can be claimed without paying taxes.”
The latter statement is important because a 10 per cent penalty is applied to current property taxes outstanding on July 3.
“So even if someone isn’t going to pay their property taxes by the due date,” Perehudoff said. “They should claim the homeowner grant, if eligible, to avoid the penalty on this portion of the overall property tax bill.”
Notably, only homes used as the owner’s primary residence are eligible for the grant.
In Trail, the basic grant is $770 for homeowners up to the age of 65. That amount increases to $1,045 for seniors and people with disabilities.
“The 2019 budget reflects council’s commitment to maintain the operational excellence in our many facilities that our citizens have come to expect and enjoy,” Mayor Lisa Pasin said. “As well, it addresses core infrastructure improvements not only our facilities, but also in our broader infrastructure.”
In his budget overview, Perehudoff notes the residential parcel tax (flat tax) was maintained at $260 “to ensure fair and equitable distribution of base level service costs across the residential rate class.”
Further, the major industrial rate class apportioned share of the total property tax levy was kept at 61.34 per cent and the Class 6 business ratio remained “with an effective rate of less than 2:1, maintaining a low business rate ensures competitiveness and supports investment.”
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