Encyclopedia
TransLink levy
Property tax collected for TransLink, the regional transportation authority.
For example: An owner sees the TransLink levy on the tax notice. (Illustration only, not a real deal.)
Official source: Assessment Act (BC Laws)
Example only, not a real client. Say you own commercial property in Metro Vancouver. Your tax notice includes a charge for TransLink, the regional transit authority. You include it in your budget along with other property taxes.
What I’d tell a friend
Read your full tax notice. Regional charges like TransLink’s are part of the cost.
Why it matters to you
It's part of the property tax bill in Metro Vancouver, and tenants on net leases usually pay their share. It's small on its own but adds to your total occupancy cost.
How to use it in your deal
Owners should include it in budgets and in any assessment appeal analysis, since a lower value reduces this levy too. Buyers should use the actual tax notice, not a summary, and expect the levy to follow assessment changes.
Tenants on net leases pay their share through operating costs, so check the notice when reviewing year-end statements. Landlords should be ready to explain each line. Because rates are set by TransLink and the province, there's little point lobbying the city about them; the regional transportation plan and TransLink's budget are where the decisions sit.
Tenants on net leases should check whether the TransLink levy is in their tax bill and whether it changes, since it's part of additional rent. It applies to property in the TransLink service region, so it shows up on Metro Vancouver bills and not on, say, a Kelowna one.
Mistakes I see
Treating it as a municipal tax. Leaving it out of a pro forma. Forgetting it moves with assessment. Not checking it in operating cost statements.
In BC and Vancouver
The South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Act allows the levy. Rates by class are published each year. BC Assessment sets the values.
Official sources: BC Assessment appeal guide · BC Assessment
What it is
The TransLink levy is a property tax charged in Metro Vancouver to help fund regional transportation.
It appears on property tax notices.
What to know
Tenants in net leases often pay their share as part of taxes.
Rates can change, so check your notice each year and ask for recent bills when buying or leasing.
Questions to ask before you sign
- How much is the levy this year?
- Which class applies?
- Would an appeal lower it?
- How is it shared under my lease?
Keep reading
Related terms: Mill rate
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General information for British Columbia only. It isn’t legal, tax, accounting or financial advice, laws and rates change, and reading it doesn’t make you my client. Any numbers or scenarios are hypothetical. Check the linked official source and talk to a lawyer, accountant or other qualified professional before you act or sign anything. See the terms and disclaimer.