A request by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 261 in Forest Grove to exempt the organization from paying property taxes for the 2024 tax year was approved at the Sept. 28 meeting of the Cariboo Regional District.
According to a letter submitted to the CRD by the organization, the property tax exemption has been granted for the last 10 years.
“This has been a great help to our Branch and has allowed us to continue to serve our local veterans, our community of Forest Grove and surrounding region,” the letter said.
Taxation exemptions for non-profit societies have typically rested with the BC Assessment Authority, which has evaluated tax exemption criteria and in other cases determined that organizations that earn some level of profits from their interests, such as Royal Canadian Legions, do not qualify for a tax exemption.
Other local governments have issued permissive tax exemptions to Royal Canadian Legion branches. In a number of cases, the permissive tax exemption is granted only on the assessed value of the non-business property class assets.
If a permissive exemption is granted by the Cariboo Regional District, BC Assessment will need to review that exemption to ensure that the primary use of the Legion is for the public, and for recreational purposes, rather than by the Legion members or their guests. If the permissive exemption passes that scrutiny, then BC Assessment will apply that exemption in accordance with the local government’s request.
Steve Forseth, area D director, was the sole objector due to the board not having a tax exemption policy.
There are no financial implications to the CRD as the tax amount exempted will be redistributed among the remaining taxpayers.
