Whereas the Province of British Columbia specifies that there is one assessment class for all types of residential properties even though the assessed value of attached and detached residential properties change values at different rates and other jurisdictions, such as Ontario, allow different tax rates for attached and detached residential properties; And whereas in Langley City, a 4.94 property tax increase in 2018 resulted in a 0.4 decrease for detached residential properties and a 14.31 increase for attached residential property, and in 2022, a 4.35 property tax increase resulted in a 12.49 increase for detached residential properties and 3.37 decrease for attached residential properties: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of British Columbia to amend the BC Assessment Act and the Community Charter to allow the residential class to be split into two distinct residential classes so that a different rate may be applied to each type to account for the difference in the rate at which attached and detached residential properties change their value and to allow local government to more accurately charge for the cost of providing services to attached and detached residential properties.
Ministry of Finance The market relationship between single family detached and attached properties may vary year over year and can also be impacted by local and regional factors. Over the last decade, single family dwellings have increased in value more than multi-family dwellings, largely due to rising land values. Although implementing residential property sub-classes would allow for a more targeted approach to taxation, it would add further complexity to the assessment process and may lead to inconsistency across the province where municipalities differ their approach in applying tax rates. Government is committed to support people throughout BC and to improve housing affordability for those who need it most. Providing local governments with the tools to shift the tax burden from single family detached homes to denser housing such as condos or townhomes would not align with provincial priorities of affordability or support a progressive tax system. BC has more property classes than most provinces and is not actively considering creating new property classes.