Kelowna City Hall/City of Kelowna

By Vernon Matters Staff

Not budging

Kelowna upholds late tax payment penalty

Aug 12, 2025 | 9:57 AM

Kelowna city officials will continue enforcing a 10 per cent penalty on late municipal tax payments, rejecting calls to reduce the fee.

The current penalty, introduced in 2020, applies to taxes paid after the July 1 deadline. Before that, late payments faced a five per cent charge after July 1, with an extra five per cent penalty if unpaid by the BC Day weekend.

Councillor Ron Cannan requested the city review its late payment policy, suggesting a lower penalty would better support residents.

“Penalties should not be a way for the city to profit from people’s errors,” he said.

Despite his motion, only two councillors backed the idea of reducing the charge to five per cent.

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Several council members admitted to missing the tax deadline themselves.

“Everyone knows when taxes are due, but mistakes happen,” said Councillor DeHart. Still, most councillors felt the current penalty system is appropriate. Mayor Tom Dyas reported that nearly 95 per cent of taxpayers met the deadline this year, with just two per cent outstanding.

The 2020 change aimed to ease administrative burdens caused by following up on late payments and reflected the variety of ways residents can now pay their taxes. While the deadline was briefly extended to September 1 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the original timeline has since been reinstated.