Anyone who has overpaid their Township of Langley property taxes and wants an immediate refund will have to pay a $25 fee in future.
The change will generate about $7,000 in revenue as a cost recovery measure approved along with several other changes Monday, May 5, when council gave approved a new fees and charges bylaw.
The bylaw increases most Township fees for things like pool passes and hall rentals by three per cent, with some exceptions.
A report on the included proposal to charge a refund fee on property tax refunds says about a third of the refunds go to mortgage companies and financial institutions, while the rest go to individual homeowners.
There were 281 refunds issued by the Township of Langley in 2013.
Property owners can avoid the charge if they let the credit sit on their account so it is applied to the next year’s property tax bill.
Langley City charges a $15 fee for property tax refunds in certain situations, while the City of Surrey levies a $25 charge.