Bo i he ates 2
ee

April 2, 1993 96 pages

a ee >

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NEWS photo Terry Poters

BRITISH PROPERTIES and Area Homeowners’ Association president Joe Scarfo stands in front of his tax-beseiged West Vancouver house. He and other area home-
owners are facing huge property tax increases as a result of the new provincial budget. Scarto said his group is considering ways of protesting Victoria’s tax hike.

WV residents talk tax revolt as NDP budget sends property taxes soaring

owner George Apostolopoulous is

HOMEOWNERS IN Canada’s richest community were hit
hard right where they live by the NDP provincial budget

announced this week.

One reeling ‘est Vancouver
resident vows to organize a (ax
revolt as a result of Finance
Minister Glen Clark's tax grab.

The budget eliminates the pro-
vincial homeowner’s grant (£470
for non-seniors, $745 for seniors)
for anyone owning a house worth
$447,000 or more.

George Horwood, West Van-
couver District's director of fi-
nance, gives three examples of
how the provincial budget will hit
area homcowners:

@ The owner of a house valued at
$2 million will pay a whopping
$19,970 more in taxes — 349%
more in school taxes and 120%
more in property taxes.

@ The owner of a house assessed
at $1 million will pay an addi-
tional $4,970 in taxes ~ 189%
more in school taxes and 61%

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

more in property taxes.

@ The owner of a $500,000 house
will pay an additional $470 in
taxes — 43% more in school taxes
and 12% more in property taxes.

“They (provincial government}
have attacked the richest 20,000
people in the province. They are
stepping onto a land mine on this.
They have never hit West Van-
couver, or B.C., like this before,”
said Horwood.

Tax accountant Norm Yurik
said homeowners with a house
assessed at $900,000 will be hit in
three different ways.

“First, they'll lose their basic
homeowner's grant. Then their

REACTION

property taxes are projected to go
up by 4%, And thirdly — and this
is the major one — anyone with a
house assessed at over $500,000
will be charged a new school sur-
lax.

“T have clients in) West Van-
couver who bought a waterfront
house years ago for $40,000.
They're now on a fixed income,
and they won’t be able to afford
this tax increase.

“Tt think it will force a lot of

people to move. They were ques-
tioning the property taxes before
this.” .

West) Vancouver Mayors Mark
Sager said the budget is unfair for
many West Vancouver homeown-
ers, because the budget taxes their
property assessments rather than
their home's value.

He said the budget will have an
enormous impact on at least 4,2
West Vancouver homies.

West Vancouver seniors and
retired homeowners, he said, will
take the brunt of the tax blow.

Sager, whose house is valued in
the $400,000 range, said he will
probably lose his homeowner’s
grant.

“e's an outrage,”' said Sager.

“Many of those people are on
fixed incomes, and they can’t af-
ford the increases. You don’t even
have to be retired.”

Sager said he was
speechless.””

And British Properties home-

“left

$e ER I ST SSS Sa si

talking tax revolt.
Jim Scarfo, president of

the
Properties and Area
Homeowners’ Association, said
residents in his area are upset
primarily over the government’s
inability to control spending.

“They (NDP) keep blaming
everything on the Social Credit
government. Were they asleep
when they were in opposition?’
said Scarfo.

Caulfeild-area homeowner Don
Mann said the budget will increase
his taxes by about $2,000. He ad-
ded that his house is assessed in
the $600,000 range.

“If I felt the money was being
spent wisely, I Wwouldn’t complain
about it. But they’re (provincial
government) giving more (wage)
increases to their employees while
other people’s income is going
down,”’ said Mann.

For more reaction ta budget see
page three.

British

REACHING EVERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHORE SINCE 1969