Property Taxes FAQs

HOURS & LOCATION

What are your hours?
The Village Office is open from 9am – 4pm, Monday through Thursday (closed from 12pm – 1pm for lunch).
Closed all statutory holidays.

Where is the Village of Slocan located?
PO Box 50, 503 Slocan Street, Slocan BC, V0G 2C0

Are there any other payment locations available?
Unfortunately not at this time. Payments can be made at the Village Office during business hours or mailed to PO Box 50, Slocan BC, V0G 2C0. The Village Office will accept cash, interac, cheque, certified cheque, bank draft, or money order.
Those who bank with a Credit Union or Bank of Montreal are invited to pay through online banking.

When mailing payments, please remember to:
a)   Include the remittance portion of your tax notice, especially if you are applying for the Provincial Home Owner Grant.
b)   Record your roll number on the face of your cheque so that we can ensure that your account is properly credited.

If you choose to mail your cheque in, please keep in mind that a postmark (Canada Post date stamp) is NOT accepted as proof of payment before the deadline to avoid a 10% penalty.

APPEALS & PENALTIES

Are Penalties Discretionary?
No. Penalties are mandated by Provincial legislation and are not discretionary.

I think my taxes are too high. Can I appeal them?
No, you cannot appeal your taxes, but you can appeal your assessment. Contact BC Assessment to find out more about the appeal process.

What is the penalty for paying taxes late?
10% penalty for taxes outstanding after the first working day after the tax due date.

Why is the grant amount subject to penalties?
You can reduce your taxes owing by claiming grants you are eligible for; until you claim the grant, the total bill is taxes outstanding.

BUDGET

What am I paying for with my property tax payment?
Property taxation is the most important single source of municipal revenue. For more information on where your property tax money is spent, please contact the Village Office to view the most recent Audited Financial Statements.

Why are Slocan residents paying for some Regional District taxes?
The Village of Slocan and some of the neighbouring local governments share the costs of some “region-wide” services. Examples of region-wide services are: police and fire protection, emergency services, street lighting, building inspection, road and drainage maintenance, and operations of regional parks and recreational facilities.

Why do I pay a School Tax?
All property owners in the province are required to pay school taxes unless the property is used for an exempt purpose and is exempt from this taxation. The school tax is not based on the property owner’s use of the school system; it is a suitable way to pay for part of public education costs.

 CHANGE OF ADDRESS

My mailing address has changed. Will you change my address so that future tax notices are mailed to my new address?
If your mailing address has changed, please contact BC Assessment as soon as possible to update your information. The records in the Village’s database are uploaded from the BC Assessment database. It may also be helpful to contact the Village Office to verbally advise staff of the address change.

Important: This refers to change in mailing address only. If a taxpayer no longer owns a specific property, the change in ownership will be picked up when BC Assessment is provided information from the Land Titles office.

Note: BC Assessment will register an address change in the Village of Slocan’s tax system monthly.

I just got a tax notice for a house I sold. What should I do?
If possible, please give it to the new owner, or return to us with a note that you sold the property.

PAYMENT OPTIONS
Payments can be made at the Village Office during business hours or mailed to PO Box 50, Slocan BC, V0G 2C0. The Village Office accepts cash, Interac, cheque, certified cheque, bank draft, money order, or electronic payment.

When mailing payments, please remember to:
a)   Include the remittance portion of your tax notice, especially if you are applying for the Provincial Home Owner Grant.
b)   Record your roll number on the face of your cheque so that we can ensure that your account is properly credited.

Unfortunately at this time we do not offer payment services through financial institutions or online.

Can I pay my taxes using a post-dated cheque?
Yes, but in order to avoid any penalty on outstanding taxes, your cheque should not be post-dated beyond the due date. After the due date, current outstanding taxes are subject to a 10% penalty.

Cheques that are not negotiable due to errors made by the payer will be considered return cheques. All NSF cheques are subject to an administrative fee of $25.00, possible service fee from your bank, and a Village of Slocan late penalty if they are not replaced by the tax due date.

If you choose to mail your cheque in, please keep in mind that a postmark (Canada Post date stamp) is NOT accepted as proof of payment before the deadline to avoid a 10% penalty.

I can only pay for part of my taxes. What should I do?
Claim your home owner grant, if applicable, and send it in with the partial payment. You will receive a 10% penalty on the outstanding balance.

If the bill for my property is not in my name, who pays the tax bill?
If you recently purchased the property, you are responsible for the property taxes; therefore, you must pay the full amount on the bill and apply for the grant (if eligible) by the due date. Attorneys for buyers and sellers of property normally adjust the purchase/sale price to account for the property taxes that are the responsibility of either the buyer or seller.
If you are the new owner, and are going to claim the home owner grant, you will need to provide a copy of your Form A showing your name on title.

Is there a Pre-Payment Plan available for Property Taxes?
The Village of Slocan does have a Property Tax Prepayment Plan called the Pre-Authorized Withdrawal System (PAWS). This plan enables taxpayers to prepay their next year’s property taxes. Current year’s taxes must be paid in full before the Village can accept prepayments on the next year’s taxes. Please contact this Village Office to inquire.

Pre-Payments
Taxpayers may make pre-payments on their next year’s taxes at any time before the current tax notices are mailed.  The payment will sit on your tax account and show as a credit/prepayment on your next tax bill.

My bank pays my taxes. Should I send my Provincial Home Owner Grant application to my bank?
No, grant applications should be sent to the Village Office. Your bank will send the payment portion separately.

My bank pays my taxes. Why do I still receive a tax bill?
All property owners are notified of tax levies. If you are eligible for the Provincial Home Owner Grant, use the remittance stub to apply and send to the Village Office.

Myself and another person own the property and both of us received a tax notice. Do we both pay?
Each owner receives a bill for notification purposes only. If the tax roll number is the same, then you make one (1) payment for one (1) physical property.

The property taxes were paid by the lawyer. What do I need to do?
Ask your lawyer if you are responsible for applying for the Provincial Home Owner Grant. If you are the new owner you will need to attach a copy of your Registered Form A Freehold Title Transfer form to the grant application.

TAX SALE:

Delinquent taxes are any taxes remaining unpaid on December 31, two years after the year the tax was imposed. For example, taxes imposed in 2018 and still unpaid become delinquent on January 1, 2020.

• Learn more about unpaid arrears and delinquent taxes due to local governments

The tax sale is held in the council chambers at municipal hall of each municipality in B.C.

Public Notice

Notice of the time and place of the tax sale and the legal description and street address of the property subject to tax sale must be published in at least two issues of a newspaper. The last publication must be at least three days and not more than ten days before the date of the annual tax sale.

Upset Price

The upset price is the lowest price that a property may be sold for at tax sale. The upset price is the total amount of current year taxes receivable, plus the prior year’s taxes currently in arrears, plus two years prior delinquent taxes, plus any penalties and interest that have accrued on each of those three years taxes unpaid.

For example, a property going to tax sale in September 2018, will have unpaid taxes from 2018 (current year), 2017 (arrears), and 2016 (delinquent) plus applicable penalties and interest for each.

An additional 5% of all taxes, penalties and interest is included in the upset price plus any applicable fees prescribed under the Land Title Act.

Declared Purchaser & Payment

The highest bidder above the upset price or, if there is no bid above the upset price, the bidder at the upset price must be declared the purchaser. If there is no bid, or no bid equal to the upset price, the municipality must be declared the purchaser. If the municipality has been declared the purchaser, the collector may offer the same property for sale again later at the annual tax sale on the same conditions as before.

The purchaser must immediately pay the collector the amount of the purchase price. If the purchaser fails to do so, the collector must promptly offer the property for sale again.

Redemption Period

A property sold at tax sale may be redeemed by the owner within one year from the day the annual tax sale began. A redemption is made by paying to the collector the total of the upset price plus all costs the collector has had notice that have been incurred by the purchaser in maintenance of the property and in prevention of waste, plus taxes advanced by the purchaser plus interest to the date of redemption.

During the redemption period, the property must continue to be assessed and taxed in the name of the owner who at the time of tax sale appeared on the assessment roll as the owner of the property.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/local-governments/finance/requisition-taxation/municipal-property-tax-sale