Surrey, B.C. — Many Surrey residents are receiving BC Assessment’s mailers sharing the assessed market value of their residential property as of July 1, 2021. This new assessed value will form the basis for municipal property taxes in 2022.
BC Assessment reported that the market value of the average single-family home in Surrey increased by 34% in 2021, rising from $1,063,000 to $1,420,000. As a result, property taxes on an average home will rise from $3,674 in 2021 to $4,852 in 2022[1]: an increase of $1,178 or 32% per home, in addition to the $300 homeowner levy. Some homeowners will face an even higher increase due to higher market rises; others will experience a lower increase.
“This significant property tax increase, combined with uncertainty around potential future costs of the rising $63.7 million budget for the police transition will create serious financial challenges for many homeowners in Surrey,” said Brian Sauvé, President of the National Police Federation. “With no Human Resources or transition plan yet in place and no firm timeline, when will Surrey residents be told the real cost of this expensive and unnecessary police transition?”
The City of Surrey’s 2022 budget, which was recently rushed through in less than seven days prior to the holidays with support from the Mayor and his slim-majority Council vote, indicated the potential for an additional $17.5 million in police transition costs in 2022. This would bring the total cost of the Surrey Police Transition to over $81 million and very conceivably result in even higher property and other taxes for Surrey residents and businesses in 2023 and beyond.
“Many young and working families live in Surrey because they want an affordable, safe and supportive community where they can live, work and play –including our family,” said Trevor Dinwoodie, Director of the National Police Federation, Surrey RCMP Staff Sergeant, and long-time Surrey resident. “Our Members share in these values, and want to continue to serve their Surrey communities with the RCMP, but they are increasingly called on to do more with less, as more and more taxpayer dollars are being siphoned off for this unwanted police transition.”
The National Police Federation will continue to assess and monitor ongoing Surrey Police Service-related cost increases, and community safety related impacts of the ongoing proposed police transition.
About the National Police Federation:
The National Police Federation (NPF) was certified to represent ~20,000 RCMP Members serving across Canada and internationally in the summer of 2019. The NPF is the largest police labour relations organization in Canada; the second largest in North America and is the first independent national association to represent RCMP Members.
The NPF is focused on improving public safety in Canada by focusing on increasing resources, equipment, training, and other supports for our Members who have been under-funded for far too long. Better resourcing and supports for the RCMP will enhance community safety and livability in the communities we serve, large and small, across Canada.
For more information: https://npf-fpn.com/ and KeepAlbertaRCMP.ca
For more information: https://npf-fpn.com/
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Media contact:
Fabrice de Dongo
Manager, Media Relations
(647) 274-7118
[1] Surrey property tax rates for 2021 and 2020: https://www.surrey.ca/services-payments/property-payment-services/property-taxes/property-tax-rates