About property taxes in a resort municipality: what Whistler is proposing
By Contributor
The Resort Municipality of Whistler’s Council is proposing a tax increase of just under 7% for owners of residential property after shifting the percentage of tax owed by properties like ski areas and golf courses from residents to industry.
The early-December council meeting saw Council ask to increase the Class 8 Recreation mill rate from a 10 to a 20 times multiplier of the rate paid on residential properties, shifting the total amount of tax paid by the town’s main tourism operators from three to five per cent of the total tax base.
“This is about fairness. We’re asking tourism to pay for tourism, so we can build a more sustainable system where those who profit from our visitors pay for the infrastructure and supports they need,” says Mayor Jack Crompton.
There are 11 other communities which tax industry at a higher relative rate than Whistler’s proposal. By building a more sustainable tax system, the RMOW is hoping to future-proof the resort’s main industry and ensure important services and amenities—like parking enforcement, roads, the Valley Trail paved multi-modal transportation path, transit and village services—are sufficiently funded.
Whistler’s budget is framed around three big rocks or immovable new cost increases brought on by growth. The community has transitioned to a higher payment tier under its federal RCMP contract, expanded firefighting service hours and is growing its transit service to meet Greenhouse Gas emission targets.
“Truly, the 15,000 residents of Whistler cannot support the needs of a community routinely attracting upwards of 50,000 people a day. Whistler has a global reputation. What we have put forward represents fiscal responsibility as we work to build a Smart Tourism economy now, and for generations to come,” says Crompton.
If approved, the new mill rate for Class 8 will generate roughly $3.1 million in tax revenue next year from those properties. Three quarters of the funds will be applied to reserves, to protect infrastructure for future generations, with $250,000 going toward employee housing.
Council also supported an increase in the Utility Rate for Class 2 Utilities to the maximum allowable amount and is pursuing an increase to Whistler’s Day Lot hourly and daily parking rates, so visitors directly pay into the tourism economy. Parking is jointly managed with Vail Resorts and partially funds Whistler’s transit system.
The budget for 2026 includes $114 million in operating expenses and $50 million in project funds with $62.4 million projected in property tax revenue. Consumer spending in Whistler generates $1.53 billion annually in provincial GDP and represents 25 per cent of B.C.’s total tourism export revenue.
Final adoption of the budget will occur in January. The RMOW is partway through its budget process. On December 16, Council provided guidelines to prepare the Five-Year Financial Plan Bylaw for municipal staff. The bylaw will be finalized early in the New Year.
