One of the last items on the docket for the current council was to give the first three readings to the 2023 Permissive Tax Exemption bylaw.
According to Interim CAO Aleen Torraville, “Section 220 and 224 of the Community Charter allows Council to exempt from taxation, land and improvements used for the purposes of worship or for charitable, philanthropic or not-for-profit purposes.”
Places of worship, writes Torraville in her report to council, are automatically exempted from taxation and processed by BC Assessment.
In Tumbler Ridge, that means the Tumbler Ridge Fellowship Baptist Church, New Life Assembly (run by the Pentecostal Assembly of Canada), the Roman Catholic/Episcopalian Corporation and the Seventh Day Adventists.
These churches—if taxed—would net the town $7,902.19.
Council had until October 31 to adopt the bylaw and provide exempt status for the qualifying organizations for the following taxation year.
These organizations are:
- TR Curling Club
- TR Oldtimers Hockey Club
- TR Lions Club
- Municipal Library
- TR Youth Services
- TR Children’s Society
- TR Arts Council
- TR Minor Hockey Association
- TR Snowmobile Club
- TR Museum
- Community Garden
- TR Branch Royal Canadian Legion
- TR Sportsman’s Association
For 2023, the District will not be collecting approximately $44,712 from these organizations.
The lion’s share of that is the Tumbler Ridge Museum, which will not be paying about $30,000 in taxes to the town, which makes sense, considering the town funds the museum.
The Tumbler Ridge Library (also a line item in the District’s budget) will be just under $5000, the Saddle Club will be exempted just under $4200, the TR Sportsmen $2049, And the TR Youth Services and TR Children’s Centre will both be exempted just over $1000 in taxes.
Council hopes to give final reading at a meeting before Oct 31.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
