Municipal tax increases are hurting this year. A compilation made by The newspaper shows that among the 50 largest cities in Quebec, it is in Saint-Lin–Laurentides where the increase in the bill for an average residence is highest, at 20%. In Mirabel, the increase is almost 12% and in Saint-Jérôme, nearly 10%. Large cities such as Montreal (4.1%), Quebec (2.44%), Laval (4.8%) and Gatineau (3.16%) managed to keep the average increase more modest. By comparison, inflation was about 6.7% last year in Quebec.
NOT TO BE CONFUSED
CHANGE IN TAX RATE
The tax rate, often expressed in $ per $100 of municipal assessment of your building, is used to calculate the municipal tax bill. In most cities, this rate has dropped this year, but this is to compensate for the fact that the value of buildings has increased significantly. In the end, the invoice sent to the owners is still an increase compared to the previous year.
No offense to some mayors, that’s why comparing the tax rate from one year to another does not give a good idea of what awaits taxpayers.
CHANGE IN TAX ACCOUNT
This is the number we use in this table. It simply represents the average change in the municipal tax bill you will receive this year, compared to last year. In the vast majority of municipalities in Quebec, the average tax bill is increasing for 2023.
METHODOLOGY
The newspaper compiled the average tax bill increase for homeowners.
The data comes from annual budgets, press releases and responses provided by municipalities that have been verified by our team.
In rare exceptions, the variation may differ from what we present here. For example, some municipalities impose additional taxes for services such as garbage collection and the aqueduct. Others impose different increases depending on the sector.