Richmond property taxes will be due on July 2 after all, but no one will be penalized for non-payment until Sept. 30.
Richmond council agreed last week to move the property tax date to Sept. 2, but after the province announced deferments for business taxes to the last day of September, council decided on Monday to make the dates consistent for both residents and businesses.
The city is still encouraging residents to pay their property taxes by July 2, but the ability to pay until the end of September without penalty is meant to provide relief to those struggling financially because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release from the city.
The City is required to remit levies collected on behalf of TransLink, Metro Vancouver, BC Assessment and the Municipal Finance Association by Aug. 1.
Richmond residents or business property owners who haven’t paid their tax or sought eligibility under the BC Deferment Program by Sept. 30 will be subject to a 10-per-cent penalty after that.
Richmond council also approved lowering the budget by two per cent, worth $4.6 million, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Saving would come from cancelling the annual transfer to reserves of one per cent, placing the hiring of 12 RCMP officers and five RCMP support positions on hold, delaying phased funding for the City Centre Community Centre North and deferring the operating budget impact of projects previously approved in the 2020 capital budget.
