Lowest municipal tax increase in B.C.
Among all 12 municipalities with 25,000 to 50,000 residents · B.C. Stats, July 2025Five annual increases: the previous Council's 2022 budget and this Council's four budgets from 2023 to 2026.
Sources & methods
This compares percentage increases, not total tax bills, service levels, assessment changes, utilities or household circumstances.
Campbell River ranked #1 for the lowest compounded municipal tax increase from 2022 through 2026 among all 12 B.C. municipalities with 25,000 to 50,000 residents, using B.C. Stats' July 1, 2025 estimates.
The same population band, all 12 municipalities.
The table includes all 12 B.C. municipalities with 25,000 to 50,000 residents in B.C. Stats' July 1, 2025 population estimates. This follows the population band used in the City's tax review. It is a campaign calculation, not a City ranking. The complete-bill comparison uses a separate, fixed 11-community cohort.
| Community | 2025 population | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Compounded | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell River | 38,300 | 3.13% | 9.97% | 3.47% | 2.89% | 2.70% | 24.00% | |
| West Vancouver | 47,929 | 4.29% | 4.14% | 7.54% | 3.00% | 3.43% | 24.43% | |
| White Rock | 25,057 | 5.24% | 6.59% | 4.82% | 4.94% | 5.04% | 29.61% | |
| West Kelowna | 40,274 | 4.00% | 5.00% | 6.85% | 7.31% | 6.64% | 33.52% | |
| North Cowichan | 34,525 | 3.77% | 4.82% | 5.18% | 7.83% | 8.42% | 33.75% | |
| Port Moody | 38,285 | 4.71% | 9.26% | 6.60% | 5.71% | 3.95% | 34.01% | |
| Mission | 47,280 | 5.96% | 5.12% | 6.19% | 5.84% | 7.43% | 34.49% | |
| Penticton | 39,068 | 5.70% | 9.50% | 5.31% | 7.88% | 5.93% | 39.29% | |
| Courtenay | 32,869 | 4.96% | 9.60% | 7.47% | 7.00% | 6.00% | 40.22% | |
| Vernon | 49,527 | 6.96% | 4.48% | 5.28% | 10.38% | 9.33% | 41.98% | |
| City of Langley | 35,444 | 4.35% | 11.56% | 9.97% | 6.70% | 5.82% | 44.55% | |
| Squamish | 28,578 | 3.76% | 4.20% | 8.90% | 9.60% | 12.80% | 45.56% |
B.C. Stats municipal population estimates · City comparison approach
Five annual increases are included: the previous council's 2022 budget and this council's 2023 through 2026 budgets. The 2022 increase is already part of the starting bill in the separate household-bill comparison.
Municipal reporting methods differ. Squamish's 2026 figure measures revenue-requirement growth including tax-base growth; its earlier figures measure existing-taxpayer or average impacts. Courtenay's 2022 figure comes from a staff recommendation; final adoption has not been independently confirmed. Rates and sources are listed above so the calculation can be checked.
Totals are calculated from the annual figures shown, then rounded to two decimal places. Small differences from comparisons using previously rounded multi-year totals can result.
Compounded increase = (1 + 2022 rate) × (1 + 2023 rate) × (1 + 2024 rate) × (1 + 2025 rate) × (1 + 2026 rate) - 1.
B.C. and Canada measure the homeowner's bill.
The chart's B.C. and Canada toggles use Statistics Canada's property taxes and other special charges index. From October 2021 to October 2025, the index increased 37.3% in B.C. and 21.6% in Canada. Statistics Canada follows a constant sample of owner-occupied homes and includes assessment changes, municipal and provincial rates, special service charges and homeowner rebates. These hollow bars provide household context; they are not a like-for-like average of Council-approved 2022-2026 budget increases.
Index values: Canada 172.8 to 210.2; British Columbia 210.1 to 288.5. Cumulative change = ending index / starting index - 1.
Method notes
- All 12 B.C. municipalities with 25,000 to 50,000 residents in B.C. Stats' July 1, 2025 estimates. No out-of-band additions. This is a campaign calculation, not a City ranking.
- Includes five annual increases: the previous council's 2022 budget and this council's 2023 through 2026 budgets. Squamish's 2026 value includes tax-base growth; earlier years use taxpayer or average impacts. Municipal reporting methods differ.
- Blue identifies Campbell River; grey identifies the peer municipalities.
- Annual figures are published municipal increases, which are nominal annual percentages. Because increases compound, the five annual percentages multiply rather than add, so each segment is drawn to that year's share of the compounded total.
What should be measured next: Keep this population-based peer method explicit. The separate 11-community complete-bill comparison uses a different, fixed cohort.