Regional portion of property tax to increase 10 per cent in 2025, says Metro Vancouver

Homeowners across the Lower Mainland will see the regional services portion of their property tax bills going up by, on average, 9.9 per cent next year, according to the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD).

The regional services portion of a property tax bill is only a fraction of homeowners’ total property taxes, with the majority of their tax bills going toward municipal services.

In a proposed budget for 2025, the average household cost for regional services will work out to $875, covering waste services, water services, regional planning, air quality management, and other services.

The regional portion is expected to see an additional five per cent increase in both 2026 and 2027.

According to Mike Hurley, the chair of the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors, the regional tax was initially expected to increase 14.1 per cent in 2025, but a Financial Plan Task Force was formed in 2023 to find ways to “ease the financial burden on households.”

The regional district has faced heavy criticism about its spending practices in recent months. In June, Premier David Eby raised questions about the amounts spent on international travel and high salaries. Documents from the MVRD show Chief Administrative Officer Jerry Dobrovolny’s annual remuneration and benefits totalling $700,000 in 2023.

This remuneration is more than the combined salaries of Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A final vote on the budget is scheduled for November.

— With files from Dean Recksiedler and Renee Bernard.