Changes in city property taxes explained
Thursday, October 25, 2012 by: Darren Taylor
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Sault property owners can expect to receive a letter in the mail from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) in late November.
What does this mean for Sault property owners?
City Commissioner of Finance and Treasurer Bill Freiburger says the notices taxpayers will receive are not a bill from the City, but notice of a new property assessment done by MPAC, a provincial organization, effective for the taxation years 2013 through 2016.
Freiburger explained how the MPAC assessment is linked to your property taxes.
“The increase in assessment is phased in over four years, what MPAC calls a four-year phase-in period,” he said “What that means is that when the assessment notices come out from MPAC, if your assessment increase is approximately the Sault and Algoma District average, over a four-year period your property taxes will be equal to the budgetary increase approved by City Council in the next budget.”
“If your MPAC assessment increase is above the average, then you will have an increase along with the City budgetary increase, and if your MPAC assessment is below the average then you should see a tax reduction along with any City budgetary increase,” Freiburger explained.
According to information provided by MPAC to City Council for its most recent meeting on Monday, the last province wide assessment by MPAC was done four years ago and based on a January 1, 2008 valuation date.
For 2013 through 2016, assessments are based on a January 1, 2012 legislated valuation date.
Increases on your property taxes will be phased in over four years, from 2013 through 2016.
Sault and Algoma ratepayers can expect to receive their Property Assessments in the mail starting November 19, local MPAC officials told SooToday.com.
Commercial property owners will not receive their MPAC assessments until after November 20.
MPAC Assessment rolls will be delivered to municipalities beginning December 11.
The deadline for filing a Request for Reconsideration to MPAC is Aril 1, 2013.
Freiburger emphasized the assessments taxpayers will find in their mailboxes are “notices from MPAC (not the City) and if they have any issues or concerns about the amount, they should contact MPAC.”
Taxpayers will be able to go here and access information using a 19-digit “Roll Number” and a website password which will be included in their mail assessments, or they may call MPAC at 1-866-296-MPAC (6722) Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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Truck 10/25/2012 2:21:14 PM ReportJP...
Agreed!.....enough said!
OMGWTF 10/25/2012 2:44:48 PM ReportI already pay over $4000 a year in property taxes. Enough is enough
Kevin5069 10/25/2012 2:49:40 PM ReportThey have to pay for the $180,000 flower pot in front of city hall somehow? Idiots on city council need more tax money to waste.
fergie 10/25/2012 2:59:59 PM ReportObviously, some of you cannot read...IT IS NOT THE CITY OR CITY COUNCIL!!...It's MPAC...take it up with them.
geterdun 10/25/2012 3:10:07 PM Reporthey fergie guess who hired them?????
Slim Shady 10/25/2012 3:19:40 PM ReportSome of you are misguided, do some reading if you don't understand the issues at hand:
http://www.mpac.ca
•MPAC does not establish property taxes.
•MPAC administers a uniform, province-wide property assessment system based on current value assessment in accordance with the provisions of the Assessment Act. It provides municipalities with a range of services, including the preparation of annual assessment rolls, which are used by municipalities to calculate property taxes.
As for people who think they pay enough property tax: Do you really understand how much it costs to fix roads, build hospitals, provide bus service, garbage pick-up, manage the dump, et cetera?
Fuel has quadrupled in the past 10 years among other things. It drives the cost of doing business up! Who do you think should pay for our services?
Where do you propose the money should come from? Are you happy just as long as it is your street they repair?
Quit moaning! If you don't like it then become a communist country where you own nothing, get paid nothing but the government pays your needs.
Jmann! 10/25/2012 3:21:11 PM ReportProperty taxes are the most up in the air system I have ever seen. So many things come in a affect to decide who pays more or less.
I.E double lot, schools, curb appeal, etc etc...
Jargon to say they will eventually steal more from us down the 4 year period.
Moonshiner 10/25/2012 3:33:47 PM ReportA small packet of KY-jelly will be included with every re-assessment notice !
Grace 10/25/2012 3:37:11 PM ReportJust a suggestion but wasn't there an article about the ratepayers meeting at city hall tonight for ward 4 and there was somethinf about finance group talking about taxes and city hall.
Maybe instead of just complaining maybe we should go.
Now I have a reason...MPAC grrr
Moonshiner 10/25/2012 3:42:41 PM ReportWE have just been informed that should you discover a margerine sized container in your mail,a personal visitation will follow shortly.
ehbcd 10/25/2012 4:05:14 PM ReportSlim Shady, stick a sock in it. If you are one of the people paving roads or building schools, you've been getting over paid and I look forward to the day the police start investigating the contracts the city signs, like they're doing in Quebec. Enough with the taxes already.
cdnprincess 10/25/2012 4:34:47 PM ReportHey Fergie,
it IS the city council. MPAC only sends out the bills, read the article it says that the increase is from the amount that city council approved.
Slim Shady 10/25/2012 4:51:40 PM Report@ ehbcd
People like you are jealous of everybody who you perceive are over paid. I was was raised by hard working parents that were poor. They raised 3 kids and didn't pay a dime for our University education because they couldn't afford to. The government did not pay for mine either. I worked and paid my own way through 5 years of living on my own and going to school. I started 2 of my own companies to do so. I am a Professional Engineer, my brother is an Electrical Engineer and My sister is a Highschool teacher. Screw you it can be done with hard work and determination. Overpaid? Why don't go to school and get yourself a better paying job or build your own business. Life and Society owes you NOTHING!
Improve yourself and quit complaining. I pay more in income tax than you make in a year. I pay my way and then some.
B Boy 10/25/2012 5:01:47 PM ReportPersonally after having moved to SSM I find the compared to the services we actually receive (qualitative and quantitative) our taxes seem a little disproportionate.
In 2007 the Ontario Ombudsman issued 22 recommendations to the Ontario legislature after numerous complaints and problems regarding MPAC including replacing the MPAC - to date nothing has been done other than the MPAC essentially being temporarily banned for a period from performing assessments as it was determined their assessments were skewed often causing inflated tax increases for the municipalities who utilize the assessments, which is pretty much all of them.
Shaggy 10/25/2012 6:22:08 PM Report"over a four-year period your property taxes will be equal to the budgetary increase approved by City Council in the next budget.”
I don't know if that statement is funny or pathetic. It seems that tax increases are a forgone conclusion in this city.
CLT 10/25/2012 6:26:29 PM ReportShaggy, ask Susan Meyers. She is on public record stating she is in favour of a tax increase every year.
j.r.98 10/25/2012 7:06:55 PM ReportMPAC sucks . I make sure i don't do much to my frontage just so my taxes stay low. And i have not improved my home at all and have lived at the same place for more then 20 years. Our neighbor has done some improvements and her property tax increased by 28%. they can come to your property at any time and revalue it
I'm In 10/25/2012 7:29:00 PM ReportHey fergie guess what, Frank Fata Ward 5 Coucillor is on MPAC, what do you think a conflict of interest I do, good thing I don't live in Ward 5
ehbcd 10/25/2012 8:56:32 PM ReportShady, (good name), I could care less about your family history or how succesful you think your are. I had a great career myself and am now retired.
Don't think for one second that people don't know what goes on with governments/city councils and how they award contracts. Have you been following the Quebec corruption inquiry? Quite interesting how a city engineer is trying to explain his 700,000.00 in illegal kickbacks. I can't wait for the day they look into the activities in our city.
BigDaddy 10/25/2012 9:32:06 PM ReportAs usual, emotions are getting in the way of a rational discussion. Basically all will be paying more, but nothing unusual there. The comments from someone going off about educating themselves is lost on me...one, so what? millions do it and two, what's your point? If I understand what your saying..you work for the city and now are able to write your own ticket on the taxpayers dime because you went to school? Where do I send my bill?
The problem I have with all of this is again, the city decides how much of our money they want, THEN determine the tax rate. I have no confidence that council takes any of this seriously aside from maybe one or two courageous individuals. The city doesn't talk about REAL cost cutting/savings (wage freezes, IC, etc), improvements in operating effeciencies (yeah, road work is expensive but they sure seem to have to do the same street all the time). Not that far into the future some annual levies may be what...$10,000...this sounds reasonable? Where will it stop?
I'm In 10/25/2012 10:06:11 PM ReportBigDaddy your absolutley right on this one, we as municipal taxpayers do not make CAO Joe and his cronies accountable to us, I smell a tax revolt. I know I won't be paying any property tax increase in 2013 becuase this city did nothing on my street except pick up my garbage, plowed my street and wasted truck loads of sand last winter. I just found out I'll be taking a wage freeze from my employer the provincial government aswell.
Timbob 10/25/2012 10:44:20 PM ReportSo if MPAC increases their assessments - let's say another 50% (like the last time), then I assume SSM City Council should reduce the mill rate appropriately so there is no net tax increase or very marginal at best.
But NO, what happens is City Council ALSO increases the mill rate slightly. They claim it's only a very small increase, but combined with the MPAC increase... the taxpayer gets wacked with a huge total $ increase.
That's why you see so many shiny new Board of Works vehicles, $100k staff, and city hall overflowing with people who exit the place in droves at exactly 3:59 pm every day.
sooboy 10/25/2012 11:04:42 PM ReportDo a written appeal of your assessment like I did last time. Calling MPAC is a waste of time, also going to the open house that they have is not worth while either. Except for Manzo they are all liars on Council. If your assessment increase is above average your tax increase can be way higher every year than what council pretends.
Tender34 10/26/2012 1:21:32 AM ReportCLT...good point about Susan Meyers. She's in favour of a tax increase every year, yet she doesn't pay taxes !!! Imagine that !!! She lives in an apartment on MacDonald Ave. Seriously, who votes for someone that doesn't even pay city taxes? Wake up to that fact come next election. My taxes have increased every year since I've lived in this city...without exception. I built a garage 3 years ago and my taxes went up because of that too. No sidewalk on my street and my front yard gets dug up every two years because Bell and Shaw have all their lines running out of underground boxes there. I complain, and do I get a break? I guess you already know the answer to that.
JitterinOnRitalin 10/26/2012 3:11:15 AM ReportWow.... Another reason to get out of This b.s city. Nickel and dime
. nickel and dime. Must be nice Being able to suck your own money tree.
kottage Keeper 10/26/2012 8:49:51 AM ReportI dont hear one complaint when you sell that $100,000.00 home for $300,000.00
Pay up and shut up consider it an investment
fatafr 10/26/2012 10:08:02 AM ReportHey "I'm in", it looks like you're "out" of the loop. Councillor Fata is retired and hasn't worked for MPAC for close to a year. So, sorry, no conflict here. In fact, Fata has been able to use his background in assessment to better assist the City in these matters and getting some positive results for the taxpayer.
As usual, on this site, there are those who are informed and of course, there are those who are not so informed. Unfortunately, the loudest and sometimes the nastiest are usually the latter. Now isn't that a surprise ??
Have a wonderful day everyone !!!!!!!!
I'm In 10/26/2012 11:23:29 PM ReportHey fatafr: What are the positive result Fata got this city, please fill me in since you are in the loop. Was it the call center in his ward that just closed.
fatafr 10/27/2012 3:21:56 PM ReportTo Mr or Ms "I'm in": I wish I knew why I find ways to get myself into these ridiculous conversations but here I go again. I am not, for 1 second, trying to pat myself on the back for things I may have accomplished or had a hand in accomplishing. I was simply setting the record straight, primarily with you, and your misleading comments that I have a conflict of interest when I am, in fact, no longer working for MPAC.
I believe that I am doing a reasonable, decent job in representing the people of Ward 5 on City Council. I can not, single-handedly, create change for our City but if it is going to happen, the majority of Council has to be on board. I will continue to do my best to represent the people respectfully.
I will finish by saying that if you think you can do a better job, I would suggest you put your name down in 2014 and run for Council. Good luck to you, if you do decide to run.
Note: Comments that appear on the site are not the opinion of SooToday.com. Keep discussions civil and on topic. Refrain from obscenity and don't post anything that your grandmother would be ashamed to read. Those who do not abide by these guidelines will have their membership revoked without notice. If you see an abusive post, please click the link beside the post to report it.
