Don Kerstens’ letter (The NEWS, Jan. 12) outlining how inaccuracy in property assessments results in unfair taxation, illuminates the greater injustice and wastefulness in how we determine municipal taxes.
Kerstens paid more taxes for municipal services on 300 square feet of housing that he in fact did not own. That’s wrong and should be righted immediately.
The greater wrong in need of righting, is basing taxes on what our properties can be sold for, rather than what it actually costs the municipality to service them. We employ an army of assessors to estimate property values (always somewhat outdated) to determine what taxes to levy.
Simple accountancy could easily calculate what services to various property categories cost our municipalities. That my next-door neighbour chooses to invest in one more bedroom, a larger garage, a bigger patio than I do, should not result in his having to pay more for all that our municipality provides.
W.L.M. (Bill) Wilson
Qualicum Beach