Property Taxes & Utilities

Ways to Pay Taxes

Pay By Mail

Consider mailing a Post-Dated Cheque dated July 2, 2010.  Make cheque payable to the District of Mission and mail to:

Finance Department
8645 Stave Lake Street
Box 20
Mission, B.C.
V2V 4L9

Envelopes received after July 2, 2010 but postmarked on or before Friday, June 18, 2010 will avoid the 10% penalty.

Pay in Person

Bring your payment to the:

Finance Department – 8645 Stave Lake Street between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. – Monday to Friday

24-Hour Drop Off

No cash please.  A mail slot is located at the main entrance at Municipal Hall.

Pay at Your Bank

Save time and pay your taxes when banking. The lower portion of the tax notice is the Application for Home Owners Grant form. Please note: some Financial Institutions are not accepting Home Owner Grant application forms. Please check with your Financial Institution. If eligible, the completed Application for Home Owner Grant form must be received at the District of Mission on or before Friday, July 2, 2010, to avoid a 10% penalty.

Pay By Phone/PC Banking

Telephone banking services may be offered by your financial institution.  Remember, if eligible, we must receive your Completed Home Owners Grant by Friday, July 2, 2010.

NO Credit Card Payments

The District of Mission DOES NOT accept credit cards as payment for property taxes or utilities.

Property Tax Due Dates

Payment must be received in the Finance Department at the Municipal Hall on or before July 2, 2010 to avoid a late payment penalty.  After July 2, 2010 a 10% penalty will be applied to any amount left outstanding, including any unclaimed Home Owner Grant (if eligible).

If you are eligible for the Provincial Home Owner’s Grant, please ensure that the application on the bottom of your tax notice is completed, signed and returned to Municipal Hall by the close of business on July 2, 2010 to avoid a penalty of 10% on the grant portion.  Please note that the Home Owner Grant application form must be completed each and every year in which you are eligible for the grant.

 A penalty will be applied on the amount of the Home Owner Grant for any unclaimed, unsigned or incomplete applications, as this will be considered equivalent to unpaid taxes.  To avoid the penalty on the Grant portion of your taxes, the Home Owner Grant must be claimed even if a payment on outstanding taxes is not made.

Home Owner Grants

IMPORTANT!

NOTE: You are able to “Claim your Home Owner Grant” on-line from May 24th – December 31st of the current year.  A payment is not required to claim your Home Owner Grant.

If you qualify for the Home Owner Grant, remember to:

  • Date and complete the grant application on the bottom of your property tax notice;
  • Mail your completed application, by the tax due date, to avoid a late penalty on the grant amount.

 

The Home Owner Grant is designed to help homeowners reduce their property taxes.  There are two categories of grants:

  • The regular grant may reduce your taxes by as much as $570.
  • The additional grant may reduce your taxes by as much as $845.

A homeowner may qualify for either the regular grant or the additional grant, not both.  To receive the grant, both the owner and the property must meet the qualification requirements.

To qualify for the regular grant:

  • You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and ordinarily reside in British Columbia;
  • You must own the home on which the grant is being claimed; and
  • The home must be located in British Columbia and must be your principal residence, where you live and conduct your daily activities.  The grant does not apply to second, rental and/or other owned properties.

You may qualify for the additional grant if you meet the regular grant qualifications and are:

  • 65 or older during the calendar year.
  • a veteran, or the spouse or widow/widower of a veteran receiving an allowance under the War Veterans Allowance Act (Canada) or the Civilian War-related Benefits Act.
  • a person with disabilities and receiving disability assistance, hardship assistance or a supplement under the BC Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act.  You must provide the required Consent for Release of Information form signed by yourself and your Ministry of Human Resources representative.  Enclose a current form with your grant application each year.
  • a person with disabilitlies who does not receive disability assistance under the BC Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act or the spouse or relative of a person with disabilities and the person with disabilities resides with you.  You must submit a Certificate of Physician and Property Owner (Form B) completed and signed by the physician of the person with a disability and the property owner.  Attach the form to the home owner grant application in the year that you first request the additional grant.  This medical form must indicate that the disability is permanent and requires extensive physical assistance, by someone other than a family member, costing more than $150 per month, or that structural modifications (ie. widening doorways, installing wheelchair ramps) costing more than $2,000 which have been made to the home in order to manage daily activities by the person with disabilities.  Physicians do not approve the additional grant; however, they provide information used to determine eligibility.

For more information regarding the Home Owner Grant see the following websites:

Property Tax Deferment Program

The British Columbia Property Tax Deferment Program allows you to apply to defer payment of annual property taxes on your home if you are:

  • 55 years or older (only one spouse must be 55)
  • widowed
  • a disabled person as defined by Regulation;
  • in financial hardship (For 2009 & 2010 only); or
  • a family with children 18 years or younger;

and you are:

  • a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant who has lived in British Columbia for at least one year immediately prior to applying for tax deferment benefits.

For more information on the Property Tax Deferment programs see the following websites: