The home care of many seniors in Quebec is threatened by the rapid increase in the value of their property, note experts, who are asking Quebec to act to reduce their tax burden.
Denyse Pinsonneault, a 71-year-old resident of the municipality of Wentworth-Nord, in the Laurentians, has had her breath taken away in the past few weeks when she learned of the increase in the value of her modest property, where she lives alone. . This has increased by nearly 94% to approach $490,000 in the new property assessment role of his municipality. “It makes no sense,” says the owner on the phone.
The retired lady has not yet received the details of her annual property tax increase, but she fears it will be high. This increase is estimated at around 12% on average for owners of Wentworth-Nord in 2023. A major increase for older owners in the sector, whose income varies little from one year to another.
“We are taken by the throat”, launches Mme Pinsonneault, whose annual income hovers around $20,000. “How can we stay at home when we receive so little? asks this resident, who plans to turn to food banks to make ends meet. “It’s like pushing the less fortunate old people out,” she says.
“Me, I can bear this increase. But I put myself in the shoes of my neighbors who are retired, with a fixed income, they may have difficulty supporting that. It will be difficult, ”notes Stéphane Vidal, a 58-year-old Bromont resident who saw his property taxes increase by 18% this year, which represents an increase of $753.
Claude Nadeau, a 55-year-old resident of Chambly, fears for his part that he will have to delay his retirement, which he hoped to take in three years. His property tax has increased this year by more than $370 due to the rapid growth in the value of his property. “There may be many houses for sale soon,” he says.
Forced departures
The growing tax burden of senior owners is of concern to the head of the income and taxation committee of the Quebec Association for the Defense of the Rights of Retired and Pre-Retired Persons (AQDR), Pierre-Claude Poulin. “We are forcing people to leave their homes, to sell their homes,” he is alarmed, when the value of properties has experienced a significant jump in several regions of Quebec since the start of the pandemic.
Mr. Poulin recalls that 39% of retired Quebecers currently use the Guaranteed Income Supplement, since their annual income is less than $20,832 for a single person. In this context, the Legault government could take inspiration from France by exempting low-income people aged 75 and over from paying property tax for their main residence, in order to make it easier for them to stay at home. he.
The Government of Quebec has also introduced this year an indexation limited to 3% for several rates, including those of Hydro-Quebec. A measure that could also apply to increases in property taxes imposed by municipalities, says Rémy Trudel, visiting professor at the National School of Public Administration and former minister. Municipalities would then be forced to limit to 3% the average increase in the property taxes of their residents, all without derogating from the obligation of the cities to present a budget without deficit, explains Mr. Trudel.
“I have no doubt about the ability of municipalities to do that,” provided they agree to reduce some of their expenses, notes the expert in municipal administration.
Joined by The duty, the offices of the Ministers of Municipal Affairs and Housing both recalled that a subsidy is offered by Revenu Québec to senior homeowners aged 65 and over who meet certain criteria, in order to help them repay the increase of their municipal taxes. However, this subsidy is only available to seniors who have owned their home for at least 15 consecutive years.
“It’s a good starting point, but there’s always room for improvement,” said the Fédération de l’âge d’or du Québec. Pierre-Claude Poulin, of the AQDR, notes that the steps to be taken to obtain this subsidy are sometimes tedious. “It almost takes you an accountant to apply it,” he says.
The office of Finance Minister Eric Girard, for its part, pointed out that the “anti-inflation shield” put in place by the Legault government “particularly benefits seniors”, since it resulted in an increase from $400 to $2,000. the “senior tax credit limit”. “All things considered, we are the government that has done the most in Canada to support its citizens in the face of the rising cost of living,” added the firm.
A tax review
On Thursday, the Liberal MNA for the Thousand Islands, Virginie Dufour, took advantage of question period in the National Assembly to deplore the “really dazzling” increases in property taxes suffered by residents of several municipalities in Quebec. “In Compton and Lac-Saint-Joseph, the tax bill has increased by 12%, in Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel by 15%, in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc by 17%, in Rivière- Red by 20%, in Potton up to 28%”, listed the elected official, before urging the Legault government to “review municipal taxation”.
“Municipalities are too dependent on the property tax and they need to vary their sources of revenue,” said Ms.me From the oven. In response, the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Andrée Laforest, recalled that a committee has been created with the mission of reviewing municipal taxation. It also intends to examine the specific cases of certain municipalities which have particularly increased the property taxes of their residents this year. “There are people from my department who traveled to certain municipalities to check whether these tax increases were acceptable. There are checks that are currently being done, ”she noted Thursday.
With Isabelle Porter