British Columbian homeowners can go online to defer property tax
Steve Randall
REP
British Columbian homeowners who want to apply for deferment of property tax will soon be able to do so online.
The property tax deferment program provides low-interest loans that allow qualifying BC homeowners to defer their property taxes until they sell or transfer ownership of their home. The taxes can be deferred for any year the homeowner lives in the home and meets the criteria for the program.
The provincial government says that the new process, launching in May 2020, will lead to quicker application reviews and, for the first time, allow for automatic renewals.
This will be a significant improvement on the current system where application reviews can take up to 5 months, sometimes meaning late penalties and fees.
The new system means that eligible homeowners will be able to opt in to annual renewal if they continue to meet program requirements.
Municipalities will no longer be responsible for collecting applications although they will continue to handle homeowner grants and utility payments.
For those homeowners who need more support there is information at www.gov.bc.ca/propertytaxdeferment and by phone: 1 888 355-2700 (toll-free within Canada) or 250 387-0555 (outside Canada). They can also visit any ServiceBC Centre.
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