City tax crunch less noticeable (Penticton)

By JOHN MOORHOUSE Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Penticton Herald

Penticton‘s annual tax crunch has arrived -- only this year things are a little less “crunchy” at City Hall. The city will be collecting $47.7 million in overall taxes this year, including school, hospital, regional district and other taxes. The city‘s own general tax levy amounts to $22.8 million Ð up from $21.2 million in 2007. Tax deadline is Thursday at 4 p.m. to avoid a 10 per cent penalty. City collector Lorne Raymond expects the heaviest line-ups to occur today since many residents don‘t want to leave their payment to the final day. However, Raymond said line-ups are noticeably shorter this year due to a couple of recent improvements. For the first time, provincial home owner‘s grant applications can be filed online, in addition to city tax payments. The city has also acquired new computer software which doubles the number of cashiers able to handle tax payments and home owner grant applications. The two utility payment cashiers can now accept payments in addition to the two tax counter wickets. “This is the first year people have been able to claim their home owner grant electronically,” he said.

Residential property taxes in Penticton went up an average of 4.95 per cent this year. Additional increases in electrical, water and sewer levies were also approved during city council‘s 2008 budget deliberations. The late payment penalty is 10 per cent of the outstanding tax bill. If still unpaid by Jan. 1, 2009, additional interest will be charged on the amount in arrears. About 97 per cent of taxpayers pay their bills on time.
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Don Quixote Note: The reason I posted this article was the taxation deadline date of late July in Penticton. I checked their website and the line that jumped out at me was 'City taxes are due the last working day of July. Any outstanding balance after the deadline date is subject to a 10% penalty.'

I was always under the impression that all cities and municipalities had the same tax deadline date but if this is correct I was mistaken. I still remember City Hall staff saying that the tax procedures re deadlines and penalties if overdue are written in stone and can't be changed. I will be exploring this new information and will post my findings asap.(see below)

Options for tax due dates 233 Property taxes are due as follows:

(a) if the municipality has not established an alternative scheme, in accordance with the general tax collection scheme under section 234;
(b) if the municipality has established an alternative scheme under section 235, in accordance with the election of the owner under section 236.

Don Quixote Note: If you read the above link to the Community Charter it appears that the municipality can set another tax deadline date and indeed its own penalties and discounts that can be applied to the tax due date.