White Rock council鈥檚 quest for authority to impose an annual vacancy tax on residential and commercial properties is among resolutions to be considered at the next Union of B.C. Municipalities convention.

UBCM president Arjun Singh confirmed in a June 27 letter to council that the resolution will be presented to the membership at the September 2019 convention. The letter was to be received for information during council鈥檚 July 8 meeting, after Peace Arch News鈥� press deadline.

PAN reported in January that council and staff were taking a first look at possible legislation to tax vacant property that is allowed to sit dormant for long periods of time.

Proposed by Coun. Anthony Manning, the idea is modelled on the measure used in Vancouver, which taxes vacant residential properties at one per cent of assessed value 鈥� and raised $8 million in 2017.

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Manning鈥檚 proposal 鈥� which was unanimously endorsed by council 鈥� suggested a tax of five per cent on assessed value on both residential and business properties.

Manning told PAN in January that one aim of the tax is to provide incentive to owners, particularly absentee owners, to lease empty commercial properties that are robbing both the Marine Drive waterfront and the uptown area of vibrancy.

The resolution to be considered at the UBCM notes that White Rock is governed through the Community Charter, 鈥渨here there is no current authority to implement a Vacancy Tax.鈥�

The city asks that UBCM work with provincial government to amend that authority, 鈥減ermitting municipalities the authority to impose, by bylaw, an annual vacancy tax on taxable residential and commercial properties, and that the criteria and administrative requirements be similar to those of the Vancouver Charter.鈥�

The UBCM convention is set for Sept. 23-27 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

tholmes@peacearchnews.com
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