Kelowna 
Zoocasa, a full-service brokerage has released an analysis of the property tax rate in 30 British Columbia cities and towns.
According to the report, homeowners in Whistler pay the lowest property tax, while Powell River homeowners pay the highest rate.
Property Tax Rates in British Columbia
The property taxes in B.C. are calculated on the assessed value by B.C. Assessment and budgets of a city or town. The assessed value of the property depends on its classification, exemption status, location, property size, condition, renovations or structural alterations, and whether or not it has a basement or pool.
Zoocasa says while Whistler has the lowest property tax rates, it has some of the highest housing prices. This is true of all the seven regions with the lowest rates in all of B.C. with average prices for all homes over $1,000,000.
Powell River which has the highest property tax rate among places studied also has the lowest average home price.
Kamloops, Nanaimo, and Campbell River all have high tax rates, and each of these cities had a home price of less than $600,000. Specifically, Kamloops had a property tax rate of 0.603820 and an average home price of $515,465. Nanaimo had a property tax rate of 0.600870 and a median home price of $586,833. Finally, Campbell River had a property tax rate of 0.562082 and a median home price of $515,533.
The five cities with the highest property tax rates:
- Powell River: 0.671150%
- Kamloops: 0.603820%
- Nanaimo: 0.600870%
- Campbell River: 0.562082%
- Central Saanich: 0.452785%
The five cities with the lowest property tax rates:
- Whistler: 0.235900%
- Vancouver: 0.269293%
- Surrey: 0.280324%
- Burnaby: 0.284280%
- North Saanich: 0.285500%
Credit: Zoocasa
Zoocasa says there is a connection between high housing costs and low property tax rates in British Columbia. The low property tax rates, combined with a provincial homeowner grant and the exemption from capital gains tax for the primary residence, have contributed to the significant increase in home prices throughout the province over the past decade.
