The impact will be felt in mid-summer when the cottagers' annual tax bills are due.
The assessment is being driven by a seven-year bull market in cottage real estate, which has seen some properties fetch up to several hundred thousand dollars only to be bulldozed and rebuilt - meaning the lots themselves are worth at least six figures.
Melodie Ateah, owner of Ateah Realty, who specializes in cottages on the east side of Lake Winnipeg, said there definitely are more cottage listings this summer than in previous years.
"Some people are selling because they don't want to pay the [higher] taxes. They figure they've gone up enough," she said.
Ateah said she understands the frustration of many cottage owners as a number of recent properties have sold for less than their newly assessed value.
"I've had some people contacting me for recent sales information because they want to appeal their assessment," she said.
From the Western Investor, August 2009
