I’ve paid my property tax for 2011. It has increased by $445, or 36 per cent over 2010.
The assessment of the property has increased by 23.7 per cent. Is that fair in Chilliwack? I don’t think so. The real estate market has not increased by 23.7 per cent.
BC Assessment has decided that I have a finished basement, which I do not have. Have they seen the house? Of course not. That would mean they would have to leave the office.
The point of this is that this bunch of bureaucrats can do anything they want, because they are not accountable to anyone, especially you the taxpayer. You will also notice on your property assessment notice or the tax bill they do not show that they are basing their assessment on other land/buildings. They could have listed you as having several outbuildings that you don’t have, yet be taxed on them. You just don’t know and they don’t tell you.
So, unless you have a computer, you will not know what you are being taxed on. My assessment is $17,000 higher than my neighbours’s assessment, even though he has a fully finished basement, but otherwise identical floor plan.
I went to the BC Assessment office in Abbotsford to ask for an adjustment, but was two days late. I was told they could do nothing about the wrong assessment, and they wouldn’t even come and look at my property. These so-called professional appraisers can make mistakes and over-assess your property. We’re simply the victims of these non-accountable bureaucrats.
Is there a connection between BC Assessment and the municipalities’ need to maximize assessments to increase revenues?
To those who may feel that they also have been wrongly assessed, I would like to hear from you. The only way we can ensure proper assessments is if we band together and confront BC Assessment.
Email me at ben431@shaw.ca if you want to join the fight.
Freeman Moore