B.C Hydro Not Paying Fair Share to Rural B.C.

Thursday, May 17, 2007 01:32 PM

The Regional District of Fraser Fort George is going on side with the District of Central Kootenay in its effort to get “fair compensation for transmission lines located in electoral areas throughout the province.”

In the unincorporated areas of the province B.C. Hydro is required to pay 1% of its gross revenues, but the payment doesn’t go to the Regional District, instead it is made to the Province which then delivers a “grant in lieu of taxes.” The most recent payment to the RDFFG was in the amount of $475,610.

It is the District of Central Kootenay’s contention that BC Hydro transmission or distribution lines and right-of -ways “alienate large tracts of land from other productive and taxable uses”. In the Regional District of Fraser Fort George that impact is on about $246 million dollars of assessed land that is no longer attractive because of those transmission / distribution lines. That would translate into just under $2.6 million in tax revenue.

A different system is used to compensate First Nations that have transmission or distribution lines on their lands. Under that system, the compensation is based on a rate per kilometre of line.

The Regional District of Frasr Fort George has agreed to provide a letter of support to the Central Kootenays, and will send a resolution to the Mininster of Finance, ecouraging the implementation of a "fair method of compensation."

The resolution reads:

"The Board of the Regional District of Fraser Fort Geoprge supports the findings of the January 19, 12007 report titled Fair Compensation from BC Hydro for Transmission and Distribution lines, namely - that Regional Districts are not receiving benefits from the 55,000 kilometres of Distribution lines and 17,533 kilometres of Transmission lines in the rural areas of the province while all other forms of government are receiving a benefit. and urges the Minister of Finance the Honourable Carole Taylor, to implement a fair method of compensation to Regional Districts in the province based on her stated strong belief that Crown Corporations, wherever possible, should compete on a level playing field."

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Posted on Thursday, May 17, 2007 01:32 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: thereasonableman on May 17 2007 5:54 PM

Let's just send them an invoice and a disconnection notice.

Posted by: lunarguy on May 17 2007 10:20 PM

So actually BCH is paying correctly but the government is taking the money and holding it for themselves. Yep, just another hidden tax.

Posted by: herbster on May 18 2007 1:45 AM

What next? The airport, for decreasing values around it? How about highways? The railway? (actually I wouldn't mind some money coming back from CN).I thought hydro lines were on Right Of Ways.

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on May 18 2007 7:04 AM

�alienate large tracts of land from other productive and taxable uses�.

The only aliens effecting land use is the local governments. This is a perfect example of the imaginative extremes these funny elected officials will go once their brains start to simmer. Just try using or or developing some land in the regional district and the aliens will be on you like fleas on a dog.

This is just a back door way to raise taxes through our hydro rates. We are already paying a water tax and native (whatever) tax loads. Lets just add more to the bill, right?