About the Ministry – Property Taxation Branch

The Property Taxation Branch of the Ministry of Small Business and Revenue is part of the Revenue Programs Division. The branch acts as the province's property taxation agency and offers programs for property owners to offset their property taxes.

The Property Taxation Branch collects $703 million in property taxes and $1.8 billion in school taxes. These funds are used to finance a wide range of social, economic and financial programs such as health services, transportation, policing, social services, debt services and education.

The Property Taxation Branch oversees the following tax and benefit programs:

• Rural Property Tax is collected by the branch on behalf of local and provincial governments to fund public services. Rural property is defined as land outside a municipal boundary, encompassing over 99 per cent of the province's land area. In British Columbia , this includes more than 347,000 properties. The Property Taxation Branch bills taxes from owners of these properties, using assessment information provided by BC Assessment (opens a new window).
  
  
• School Tax is levied on property to help pay for provincial spending on public education. School tax is included on the municipal or rural property tax bill and paid to the municipality or through the Surveyor of Taxes. Municipalities are then responsible for remitting the school tax to the provincial government.
  
  
• The Home Owner Grant is administered by the Ministry of Small Business and Revenue in conjunction with Municipal Tax Collectors and the Surveyor of Taxes (in rural areas). The program began in 1957 to help homeowners reduce the amount of taxes they pay on their home.
  
  
• The First Time Home Buyers' Program was introduced in 1994 to help British Columbians purchase their first home. Under this program, eligible purchasers can claim an exemption from the Property Transfer Tax.
  
  
• The Property Tax Deferment program offers low interest loans to assist qualifying homeowners in British Columbia in paying their annual property taxes. Presently 13,000 households defer property taxes under the program, which began in 1974.
  
  
• The Indian Self Government Enabling Act (opens a new window) was created in 1991 by the Government of British Columbia to facilitate First Nations bands in the province in achieving self-taxation.