Dear Editor,
Re: Property tax to rise 3%, not everyone pays more, News Dec. 9.
Let’s not compare apples to oranges.
Strata property owners might not see a significant increase in taxes this year, but the owners of “older” detached homes in West Richmond certainly will. And that is simply wrong.
For 2017, I will lose $575 in the government grant and an additional senior supplement of $275 while my basic unit tax will rise by three per cent.
That’s a lot of money!
And all of this because I own a 1,500 square-foot home built in 1960 that some non-resident investor wants for himself (to tear down, no less).
Last year, my taxes went up by $500, and that wasn’t enough.
This is where I live. I like it here. My kids and grandkids like it here.
The fact that my assessment has seen an increase of $800,000 in less than two years is only to justify a money grab by Richmond and the province.
That very assessment serves as notice by our own elected representatives that I should pack up and leave. (Even my new hefty tax bill will not save the school up the street.)
Are we sure this is what we want as a community?
Jim Lanning
Richmond
