1092 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

That might have been in a different thread. 

[Ismo07]

You have to split out the municipal portion from the entire tax bill. The City of Victoria does not control the other line items.

Run those numbers again for only the municipal portion, then compare those.

 

Yes we did talk about that.  I don't think I can see that breakdown historically but are you suggesting that those didn't go up by very much each year?  Have you got access to your moms 2012 Property Tax notice?  It's an interesting point.

 

So the City portion of my taxes were $1406.45 in 2022.  We are thinking in 2012 they were $1004.61 (down 40%).  Then all my other school taxes and levies increased to $824.54 from $785 in those 10 years?  I guess a $40 increase seems plausible...  I've never looked at it like that.

Edited by Ismo07, 16 March 2023 - 03:28 PM.

[JohnsonStBridge]

No need to dig up property tax notices from 10 years ago or do back of the napkin math. The Province publishes all of this data going back to 2005 for taxes on a representative house by municipality and broken out by school, municipal, regional district, hospital taxes etc.

 

City of Victoria taxes indeed have increased by 44% over a 10 year time frame from 2012 to 2022. This is only the 9th highest increase over this time frame in the CRD. Oak Bay saw a whooping 79% increase, Langford saw a 71% increase, and Saanich 53% for comparative. Esquimalt wins by holding their property tax increases to the lowest increase of just 26%.

[Victoria Watcher]

No need to dig up property tax notices from 10 years ago or do back of the napkin math. The Province publishes all of this data going back to 2005 for taxes on a representative house by municipality and broken out by school, municipal, regional district, hospital taxes etc.

 

City of Victoria taxes indeed have increased by 44% over a 10 year time frame from 2012 to 2022. This is only the 9th highest increase over this time frame in the CRD. Oak Bay saw a whooping 79% increase, Langford saw a 71% increase, and Saanich 53% for comparative. Esquimalt wins by holding their property tax increases to the lowest increase of just 26%.

 

The Bridge FTW!

[LJ]

Haven't seen too many "progressive" municipal governments raise taxes above inflation. But I can give you the example of a more conservative leadership that campaigned on lower tax but in the end decided to go for a 10% tax increases. And that government would be ABC in Vancouver.

ABC pretended to be conservative, post election they turned out to be progressive.

[Nparker]

Did they even pretend to be conservative or did they just appear that way based on the actions of their predecessors?

[Victoria Watcher]

Victoria city council appears to have trimmed the city’s 2023 operations budget enough to reduce the expected tax increase for property owners to six per cent.

 

Council voted Thursday to save $1.5 million in spending by reducing this year’s contribution to the parking reserve fund by $500,000 and its contribution to the debt reduction reserve by $1 million, the effect of which would drop the expected tax rise this year to six per cent. The motion also called for council to restore the funds in next year’s budget.

 

https://www.timescol...d-of-69-6714502

 

 

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 March 2023 - 02:08 AM.

[Sparky]

^ So no decrease in the requested police budget? 

[LJ]

Did they even pretend to be conservative or did they just appear that way based on the actions of their predecessors?

They quite clearly indicated they were moderately conservative.

[Victoria Watcher]

Langford residents brace for potential 12% tax hike

 

The jump is being blamed on inflation, population growth, and public safety and recreation funding obligations and other capital projects.

 

https://www.timescol...ax-hike-6774242

 

 

 

 

The plan proposes a 11.94% property tax increase this year — about $241 for the average household — representing a significant spike to what property owners have been used to seeing over the previous five years.

 

_____________________________

 

Additional tax increases include hikes of 7.75%, 6.24%, 5.86% and 5.42%, according to the city’s five-year financial plan.

 

In the past five years, increases ranged from 1.9% to 2.95%. The previous council made up for reduced tax revenue by borrowing from surplus and reserves.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 March 2023 - 04:23 AM.

[Mike K.]

Well, that’s Langford now, I guess.

Taxes are going up about 43% over five years. That’s about $800-$900 more in property tax for an average residence.

[Lorenzo]

"In the past five years, increases ranged from 1.9% to 2.95%. The previous council made up for reduced tax revenue by borrowing from surplus and reserves."

 

Sounds sustainable to me. Langford has grown up folks.

 

Infrastructure, Fire Dept, More RCMP, the YMCA, and I am sure more will come to light as time goes on.

 

If you want to dance, you have to pay the band.

[Victoria Watcher]

Oh my friend, you ended the article quote right before the juicy part:






In the past five years, increases ranged from 1.9% to 2.95%. The previous council made up for reduced tax revenue by borrowing from surplus and reserves.

Although offsetting tax increases with reserves has been a longstanding policy, staff said the ­practice under a council led by then-mayor Stew Young was dramatically increased in 2020, 2021 and 2022 — taking $1.4 million, $1.65 million and $1.78 million from general reserve funds to cover operating costs in lieu of property taxes.

______

The proposed 2023 increase continues the approach by including a $1.7-million contribution from general reserves to keep the rate as low as possible during a challenging budget year. But relying on reserve funds is projected to be phased out over five years.




So the new budget takes the same from reserves PLUS increases taxes 12%. PLUS they plan to continue taking from reserved for five more years.

Is that the definition of growing up?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 March 2023 - 07:34 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Property owners in Lantzville will not see their taxes go up this year.

 

Council voted unanimously in favour of a zero per cent tax increase, taking the new financial plan to third reading. Fourth reading and adoption are expected at the next council meeting on April 5. Members of council commended each other for their efforts and praised staff for reaching zero per cent at a time when Canada’s consumer price index was up 5.2 per cent in February over the ­previous 12 months.

 

 

https://www.timescol...ncrease-6774333

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 29 March 2023 - 09:20 AM.

[Ismo07]

 

Property owners in Lantzville will not see their taxes go up this year.

 

Council voted unanimously in favour of a zero per cent tax increase, taking the new financial plan to third reading. Fourth reading and adoption are expected at the next council meeting on April 5. Members of council commended each other for their efforts and praised staff for reaching zero per cent at a time when Canada’s consumer price index was up 5.2 per cent in February over the ­previous 12 months.

 

 

https://www.timescol...ncrease-6774333

 

 

Wow.. Was wondering the cuts...

 

The extensive list of spending reductions include removing extra bylaw officer hours, reducing office equipment and supplies, cutting planning consulting fees and professional development costs. A road network and traffic plan, and a parks master plan were cut for now.

[Victoria Watcher]

[Mike K.]

Stew Young went on CFAX, to explain that the "reserves" were dollars from developers, put into a special fund, for the purpose of keeping property taxes low. So to call them "reserves" in the traditional sense is misleading, he said.

[Nparker]

Interesting...

[Mike K.]

...was dramatically increased in 2020, 2021 and 2022 — taking $1.4 million, $1.65 million and $1.78 million from general reserve funds to cover operating costs in lieu of property taxes.

 

 

Have we already forgotten why?

 

The article doesn't mention it, but let's help each other remember what happened in 2020, and what events set financial policy through 2022. What was it, that saw businesses close, people lose employment, earnings to drop, and the federal government to enact policies to supply individuals with money, while provincial and municipal governments reduced their asks from constituents in order to lessen the financial impact on them?

 

What happened, in 2020 through 2022?

[Ismo07]

Have we already forgotten why?

 

The article doesn't mention it, but let's help each other remember what happened in 2020, and what events set financial policy through 2022. What was it, that saw businesses close, people lose employment, earnings to drop, and the federal government to enact policies to supply individuals with money, while provincial and municipal governments reduced their asks from constituents in order to lessen the financial impact on them?

 

What happened, in 2020 through 2022?

 

Might be interesting what happened the 3 years before that as well...  They are still using $1.7M out of there anyway so again odd thing to talk about right?