If you paid your property taxes late this year, you’ll be dinged more if your home is in the Township of Langley than in any of its immediate neighbours.
But that might change by next year.
Property taxes were due in B.C. municipalities by the start of July.
By provincial regulation, there’s a 10 per cent penalty for late payment. But right now, Langley Township is the only one of its neighbours that charges the full penalty up front.
Every other municipality already charges half that for the first month.
Langley City, for example, charges a five per cent penalty if payment isn’t in by the July deadline, with a further five per cent payment after Aug. 2.
The Township’s other neighbours give even more leeway before the second half of the penalty kicks in.
Surrey and Maple Ridge both charge five per cent for late payment in July, then add another five per cent if payment hasn’t been received by the first working day in September.
Abbotsford charges five per cent in July and another five per cent if the tax payment is outstanding as of Sept. 15.
The Township’s 10 per cent charge is currently under review, and Mayor Jack Froese said he expects it to be broken into two five per cent portions by the next property tax season.
“We’ve asked staff to look into that, to see if we can incorporate that,” Froese said.
A motion is expected at the Township council table to make a change in the near future.
The penalty can’t be lowered below 10 per cent due to the province’s laws, Froese said.
