A petition against the Cowichan Valley Regional District’s proposed 19.33 per cent tax increase for 2024 has garnered more than 1,000 signatures in just three days.
Jackie Broughton, the resident of the CVRD who began the petition, said she was shocked to recently learn of the significant tax increase that the district is proposing.
RELATED STORY: CVRD MULLING 19.33% TAX INCREASE IN 2024
“Like many families in the CVRD, my family is feeling the financial strain to meet our monthly obligations,” she said.
“The sacrifices we’re making are echoed across households throughout the CVRD. Despite this widespread hardship, the CVRD is proposing a further 19.33 per cent tax increase on property, a move that will only exacerbate the financial burden on families like yours and mine. This increase proposed by the CVRD would place an even heavier load on homeowners and families who are already struggling.”
The tax increase was in the range of 16 per cent until a recent meeting in which the board decided in a tight vote to top up the regional parks acquisition fund to its maximum requisition of $2.5 million for the year, which saw the proposed tax increase go up a further 3.39 per cent.
RELATED STORY: CVRD LOOKS TO KEEP 2024 TAX INCREASE LOWER FOR RESIDENTS
The CVRD was already facing steep financial increases in a number of areas this year, and the draft budget for 2024 indicates that 8.53 per cent of the proposed tax increase is for the district’s core funding and supplementals, 6.17 per cent of the increase is for regional recreation funding and a one per cent increase in funding for the Vancouver Island Regional Library and transit functions.
The final adoption of the budget for 2024 is expected at the board meeting Feb. 28.
Broughton said taxpayers understand that taxes fund essential services and infrastructure within our community.
“However, it’s crucial for the CVRD to consider its residents’ ability to pay these taxes without compromising their quality of life,” she said.
“Therefore, we urge the CVRD to halt any plans for tax increases and consider how to make property taxes more affordable for residents during these challenging times. By doing so, they can help alleviate some of the financial pressures faced by families across the Cowichan Valley and ensure a more equitable distribution of fiscal responsibility.”
The petition can be found at https://www.change.org/CowichanTax.
