VICTORIA – British Columbia Finance Minister Brenda Bailey says she’ll look into a plan by BC Assessment that would cut the taxable value of pipeline and other projects in a move that has angered some local officials.

Director David Laird of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District in southwestern B.C. says it’s “disgusting” the assessment agency hasn’t previously told British Columbians about the strategy that would slash the taxable value of pipelines by $300 million, or more than a quarter, in that district alone.

Bailey says in a statement that she’ll be looking at the proposal in November and any risk of a “big tax burden shifting to residents and small businesses is concerning.”

A BC Assessment official briefed a Thompson-Nicola Regional District board meeting about the plan last wee

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