I find the following story, about a neighbourhood’s four-year battle to force the BC Assessment authority to reduce their property values, fascinating. To want to have your property assessment reduced, to save a small amount of money each year on your property tax in exchange for communicating to the world that the home you own has been significantly devalued, sounds like an expression of extreme desperation. I suppose if you’re certain that your neighbourhood has become such a lesser place to live compared to before and you’re sure you’d get less for selling your home, then there’s a certain logic in also paying less for property taxes. It might also serve as a wake-up call to politicians and bylaw enforcement, who admit to having been aware of the problem for years and unable to resolve the issue to everyone’s (or anyone’s?) satisfaction.
On that latter point, if the area is zoned residential and there’s commercial activity afoot, I must admit to confusion about why this would be hard for City Hall to resolve on behalf of the local residents.
- Steven Hurdle – Read the rest of this entry »
