City council passes tax exemptions without discussion

The City of Penticton is allowing more than $500,000 in permissive tax exemptions this year for organizations providing services to the community.

The tax exemptions are granted each year to organizations whose community service operations would be impaired by not receiving it.

Related: Penticton delays decision on 2017 tax exemptions

In addition to churches, hospitals and private schools, who are pre-approved on a three-year cycle, 98 groups qualified this year for a total of $415, 115. The pre-approved exemptions totalled about $116,000 according to Amber Coates, the city’s revenue supervisor, bringing the total to an estimated $531,115.

Coates broke down the exemption as 38 per cent supporting housing services, three per cent for sports or recreation, 10 per cent for historical societies, 18 per cent for community wellness and 11 per cent making up the balance for a variety of services, including the B.C. Wine Information Society, the Salvation Army and BCSPCA.

The groups with pre-approved exemptions reach the end of their cycle this year, and Coates said that makes next year an ideal time to transition the tax exemption applications to an online process, as the city has already done with municipal grants. That will start in late spring of 2019.

Related: Penticton accepting grant applications for 2019 budget

Council voted unanimously to approve the exemptions Tuesday.

Summerland’s municipal council recently voted to give three churches, with what they deem excess land, one more year of status quo, then start reducing their exemptions.

Related: Tax exemptions to change for three Summerland churches