MUNICIPALITIES RECEIVE $16.2 MILLION IN LIEU OF TAXES

 VICTORIA – The Province, through the Ministry of Citizens’ Services, is providing $16.2 million to 63 B.C. municipalities as grants in lieu of property taxes for 2010.  Before the 1960s, it was practice that one level of government did not tax the property of another level of government. However, in 1963, the Province began to recognize its responsibility to compensate municipalities for local services that benefited these properties, such as roads, sewers and fire protection.  Grants-in-lieu of property taxes are distributed as a way to compensate municipalities for services that benefited government properties. The grants are based on the assessed value of provincially owned office buildings and other properties in each municipality. To save time, money and paper, the funds are distributed electronically. Since 2002, the Government of British Columbia has distributed more than $156 million as grants in lieu to B.C. municipalities. Each municipality sends a portion of the funds to its regional district, and those local governments use the money to help pay for local services.

MUNICIPALITIES RECEIVE $16.2 MILLION IN LIEU OF TAXES

Municipality	2010 GIL Payment ($)	Municipality	2010 GIL Payment ($)
100 Mile House	23,888	North Vancouver	100,249
Abbotsford	210,421	Northern Rockies (RM)	40,212
Burnaby	847,976	Oliver	3,858
Burns Lake	7,314	Parksville	24,778
Campbell River	74,853	Penticton	91,181
Castlegar	21,737	Port Alberni	59,053
Chilliwack	44,653	Port Coquitlam	837,770
Coquitlam	739,030	Powell River	43,824
Courtenay	36,861	Prince George	1,986,311
Cranbrook	28,224	Prince Rupert	63,076
Creston	13,726	Princeton	1,047
Dawson Creek	106,822	Queen Charlotte	3,141
Delta	22,214	Quesnel	53,115
Fernie	2,774	Revelstoke	25,524
Fort St. James	35,287	Richmond	11,292
Fort St. John	103,604	Rossland	13,002
Golden	4,134	Saanich	409,606
Hazelton	22,051	Salmon Arm	13,861
Hope	12,478	Sicamous	4,857
Houston	3,734	Smithers	130,115
Kamloops	1,223,842	Squamish	4,330
Kelowna	346,835	Stewart	2,161
Kent	2,439	Surrey	523,288
Lumby	3,612	Terrace	137,405
Maple Ridge	665,716	Vancouver	2,830,355
Masset	23,153	Vernon	90,279
McBride	3,500	Victoria	3,036,392
Merritt	32,765	View Royal	146,889
Nakusp	6,054	Wells	1,482
Nanaimo	355,254	Williams Lake	52,189
Nelson	194,548	Zeballos	4,069
New Westminster	253,578
		Total	$16,217,788