The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) said rural property taxes must be paid to the province, rather than local governments.
RDEK officials said it is not a tax collecting entity, therefore properly owners living outside of municipal boundaries will have to pay their taxes elsewhere.
“For all rural properties in the East Kootenay, your tax notices are sent from the Surveyor of Taxes in Victoria,” said RDEK Chief Financial Officer Holly Ronnquist. “The Province collects the provincial-rural, police, school and regional district taxes and then sends the regional district its portion on behalf of the rural residents.”
The RDEK said its portion of taxes typically accounts for about a third of the overall tax bill. The exact amount will depend on how many services the RDEK provides in a given area, with individual services listed on your tax statement.
“If people have questions about how much they are paying for a specific RDEK service, such as their water or recycling, we are happy to answer those questions; however, questions about the provincial services on their tax notice or their BC assessment should be directed to the Province,” said Ronnquist.
Rural residents can pay their property taxes online by going through the link below.
Residents within municipal boundaries can pay their property taxes to the local city hall or district office.
The deadline for property taxes in B.C. is Monday, July 4th.
More: Property taxes in rural areas (B.C. Government)