Drive off the ferry at Saltery Bay, and the first house you’ll see is Sunny Dawn Kostelnik’s. You can tell it belongs to the realtor because it has a huge sign on the front lawn advertising her business: 2% Realty.
Every day, she drives to her office at Marine Avenue and Alberni Street and back home again - sometimes twice in a day, if her clients need her. Even with the price of gas at $189.9 at press time, it’s still cheaper for her to live 31 kilometres south of town and commute, than for her to live in Westview.
Why? Because of the taxes.
“Living in [qathet] Regional District we don’t have the taxes or the services,” said Sunny Dawn. “We pay for garbage. Insurance is higher. There’s no fire protection. If there’s a fire, we take care of it or we let it burn.”
Where Sunny Dawn lives, in Area C, taxes are the lowest of any area on the mainland of qathet.
For a $600,000 home in Saltery Bay, if the owner lives there and 65 or over - as Sunny is - property taxes are just $892 a year. That’s about a quarter of City of Powell River taxes for the same-value property, which are $3,669.
Both the regional district and the city are currently in the process of figuring out how much they’ll have to charge homeowners in property taxes for 2024.
Sunny Dawn says the lower-taxes-more-driving formula works for her, where she is, and given what she pays for property taxes (which she is not sharing). But it’s not a calculation that’s the same for everyone shopping for a home.
“For people who are retired, it doesn’t get a lot cheaper than living outside the city,” she said, noting that the seniors grant makes a big difference.
However, how people choose homes really comes down to lifestyle.
“A lot of people want to be able to walk to the store or park. If they’re living in town, they can save money by losing a car, buying a bike.”
No potential qathet residents have ever decided to not move here because taxes are so high, said Sunny Dawn. And although it’s a consideration, most homebuyers don’t make their decisions based on taxes, either.
That’s not true, however, with those seeking commercial real estate. After she moved here from Yukon, she helped several of her old neighbours search for potential storefronts to buy or rent, to open small businesses here.
They bristled at the price of commercial taxes in the city, she said. The building she owns at Marine and Alberni was assessed at $264,000 last year. Her property taxes on it were $6,100 - or about $500 per month.
“I’m not pointing fingers. I know we need taxes to support way of life,” she said. “But prospective investors take a deep breath in when we’re talking local taxes."
Are there savings over living in the city?
Zone: qRD Area A (Lund)
Distance to town: 28 kilometres
Total kilometres in a year, commuting once daily: 20,440
Gas cost per year at $1.65, 10L/100KM: $3,373
Gas cost per year at $1.99, 10L/100KM: $4,068
Taxes on a $600,000 home, minus homeowners grant: $2,670
Taxes on a $600,000 home, minus seniors / disabled grant: $2,395
No.
Zone: qRD Area B (Myrtle Rocks)
Distance to town: Eight kilometres
Total kilometres in a year, commuting once daily: 5,840
Gas cost per year at $1.65, 10L/100KM: $963.60
Gas cost per year at $1.99, 10L/100KM: $4,068: $1,162
Taxes on a $600,000 home, minus homeowners grant: $2,126
Taxes on a $600,000 home, minus seniors / disabled grant: $1,851
Yes.
Zone: qRD Area C (Saltery Bay)
Distance to town: 31 kilometres
Total kilometres in a year, commuting once daily: 22,630
Gas cost per year at $1.65, 10L/100KM: $3,734
Gas cost per year at $1.99, 10L/100KM: $4,068: $4,503
Taxes on a $600,000 home, minus homeowners grant: $1,566
Taxes on a $600,000 home, minus seniors / disabled grant: $1,291
No
Zone: City of Powell River: Westview
Total kilometres in a year, commuting once daily: 0
Gas cost per year at $1.65, 10L/100KM: 0
Gas cost per year at $1.99, 10L/100KM: $4,068: 0
Taxes on a $600,000 home, minus homeowners grant: $3,944
Taxes on a $600,000 home, minus seniors/disabled grant: $3,669
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