BC rings in 2017 with a new wave of fees and taxes
Posted January 2, 2017 9:36 am.
Last Updated January 2, 2017 2:10 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The New Year is here, but is your wallet ready to take a few more hits in 2017?
Fee hikes will have you shelling out a bit more for some basic services.
A lot of it is transportation-related.
On the road, ICBC is upping its basic rates by 4.9 per cent, and starting in July, TransLink will raise ticket prices for the first time in four years.
A ticket for a single ride will cost you an additional ten cents, while monthly passes are two dollars more.
On the water, it’ll cost you just under two per cent more to travel on BC Ferries.
But that’s not all.
Electricity will be pricier starting in April when BC Hydro cranks up its rates by 3.5 per cent.
2017 also means the end of MSP premiums for those under 19, but the rate for two adults will be twice the amount of the single adult rate beginning this year.
In Vancouver, a 3.9 per cent property tax hike has taken effect, including a half-percent jump to help fight the fentanyl crisis.
Finally, beginning this year, homes that aren’t lived in or rented for at least half the year, are now subject to a one-percent “vacancy” tax.
