Many of you have already received your BC Assessment notice in the mail.
This annual process conducted by BC Assessment is completed in order to provide local governments across the province the most up-to-date assessment base for property taxation.
The process of determining your property assessment value is objective and independent. Appraisers determine individual property values based on local real estate sales and several other characteristics of your home.
The Cariboo Regional District and the City of Williams Lake use this information to determine the total tax base for the upcoming year in preparation of the annual budget. Of course, your property taxes fund many local-level programs such as parks and recreational services, fire, police, and transit services.
These are services we use every single day and improve the quality of life in the Cariboo. Whether you live in a rural or urban subdivision, we all pay our fair share of property taxes to ensure that local services are well funded and can continue to meet the needs for residents.
In our region, most property assessment changes were between minus five per cent and plus five per cent showing that property values were relatively stable. However, at the end of the day our local governments will make the final determination of property tax rates payable this year.
If you have specific questions regarding your assessment notice, contact BC Assessment directly by calling toll-free at 1-866-valueBC (1-866-825-8322) or visit their website at bcassessment.ca.
You can also visit the Cariboo BC Assessment office at Suite 202 – 350 Barnard Street in Williams Lake.
On a final note, I would like to personally congratulate Pioneer Log Homes on their new reality TV show Timber Kings on HGTV. It is so great to see Williams Lake and one of our local businesses showcased nationwide!
Donna Barnett is the Liberal MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin.