LETTER: Langley resident says assessment math creates unfair taxation

Dear Editor,

Re: [OPINION: B.C. realtor explains assessments…, langleyadvancetimes.com, Jan. 3]

If, as the realtor claims, assessments have no impact on municipal taxes why is assessment used to level taxes?

What the assessments do is create an unfair and discriminatory cost on the taxpayers.

For example in a typical neighbourhood homes will be assessed at different amounts.

This means that homes assessed higher will pay more in taxes.

They will pay more for fire or police protection than a lower assessed neighbour even though they both use the same amount of service.

I believe that all residential owners pays the same amount for garbage and recycling.

I think it is a fixed yearly amount, the same for everybody in the neighbourhood.

Assessment used for determining taxes ensures that everybody in the neighbourhood is not treated the same.

Assessment may be valuable for statistics, or real estate or mortgages, but again it ensures unfairness in any given neighbourhood.

Gail Wade, Langley Township

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