Page 6, May 31, 1978 - | much : as 15. over a year ‘ago. I ‘was a great party while fit lasted; and even the | init mat nee sea. ae cent annually those able to cash in, it homeowners who didn’t rush to cash in still got _ the nice, warm feeling~. - backward spending down to the 1977. level, or virtually so. As a ° that they were suddenly — living im a private goldmine. But last week: came _ the | delayed hangover. In” West Vancouver and North Vanccuver District the hangover came in the. form of | the 1978 municipal tax: bill,.. payable by the beginning of — July. In North “Vancouver | City (due, we understand, to -- some clerical problems) the hangover will be a few days later in arriving, but will be no less painful. For thousands. - of. sitigie_. - family homes throughout the North Shore this. year’ Ss. property. taxes are’ way, Way up -- despite the fact that: all” : three North Shore. munich. palities have - bent over: -to keep their- result, homeowners ‘are now crying. ‘‘foul’’ and “accusing — their councils of betraying them with empty hold- thie- line promises. ‘But in this particular c case the councils of North: and West Vancouver: are not the | bad guys. The assorted villains (if that’s’ how you -want to look at it) are the. provincial government in Victoria, the school boards and the booming 1973-77 real estate market itself. So what has actually happened? FREEZE UNLOCKED Some six years ago Vic- . North Shore News course, _ __-amarket .. value’’ decreed that. all properties” must be-taxed on ‘the current _1978.market value. Moreover - Victoria ‘-- through its Pro- vincial Assessment Authority --took “on the’. task of - determining what the current - market value of every. home - in the province is.. This was communicated to’ homeowners in the asseéss- ment: notices. issued to them: last December, showing the © ‘true market value’’ of their . - . property - at that; point as. determined « ‘by:” Victoria’s - assessors.. And for many ~ single-family | homes, of: the new ‘“‘true . showed a hefty: leap upward from the | “4972 ‘figure, thanks to the: - intervening | - real, ‘estate | ‘binge... “Whatihe new assessment. : notices didn’t show was the ° ale Meanwhile.” -ail ‘this. “tax-dollar effect of that ‘upward leap in value -- which ‘depends in the end on local — “municipal and school board budgets, mill rates and other — _ financial technicalities. One thing, however, should Rave -been-clear, though it appar- | ently wasn’t to many: ‘home: owners back in December: | It was undoubtedly com- - forting to note that the value of your property was official- ly recognized = as ; increased by 50-100 per cent since 1972. But, said Victoria this also meant that many single-family homeowners had been enjoying a free tax ride over the same six-year period -- and now they finally had to catch up. having: S ‘In most instances it thad t to : rely. on earlier records and Jocal -price trends. -- which “can: obviously lead to signifi-. cant margins of error: in. - te trend. individual cases. Another: important factor’ in this year’s tax bills is. the~"y school tax: Unlike’ the muni- cipal tax, the school. tax has. ‘fisen perceptibly. in both . -North and West Vancouver - Sane and again it’s geared to the’ ‘hardship in - -the process of increased | market value of ~ _ your home. © ~ _ Purely. as a “matter or - administrative convenience - the municipality collects the. school tax along. with -its. - own. But it. has ‘no. control .. “whatsoever over “the “school. tax rate, which is set by the. school board, a separate and» .independent™ local govern-. _-ment body. The’ ‘result at tax time, — however, -“is. . that’ . councils collect quite a. few © - black eyes that should rightly. - ‘+-be aimed (if, at all) at the -, ~ flected school trustees. _ ~ ge “nega oe rai small consolation to the two _ “North Vancouver. old age *— ~ pensioners in their seventies : “who, in a ‘state of shock, contacted bili on their home was up by- some $300 over last year. _ Where, on their meagre fixed income, could they find. that kind of extra money at four weeks notice? GOVERNMENT PLOY. : “Their situation is. typical of | that of thousands: of other. | single-family homeowners on | “the North Shore this week:-- . though it’s all the sadder the financial a ‘because of Heutations of old age. It’s all very well to tell homeowners that they must’. e. of that :- without any. Apparent: strings: : - attached.” = inspecti ns ‘of only | a- te niall percentage of = — ments. has. then been allowed "> to ‘rise. -gradually,. year> by . council, ‘which itself has no.“ : _ choice but to obey. Victoria’s. . the News for. -— advice two days ago. The tax” ‘day, ‘and™ ‘came - There’ followed - the. real on ‘estate boom. If ‘tax assess- year, in’step with increasing _ home values, © it: would have-: made. sense - -- relatively painlessly -- to” 2!! -home-* owners: aware of the: market " Now,. ‘with’ only °: ‘a. “month. left: to :-find: ‘the “cash, -a | _ considerable number. of: homeowners - _especially — _ those who aré senior citizens*.’ . -Stand :to: ‘suffer. real.” on a= - ‘catching ...up’’ «their, “so-called free tax ride. But at - déast_ they: ‘should be clear: about one: ‘point; _ ae “The. people ‘Who took the ~ o “taxpayers of 1978 for a ride. . were ~ the-. -politicians in | a “Nictoria “not. their local .- -ordérs iff the matter. Ss " NATION aL UTE COSMETICS. 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