Quebec will limit the average increase in the school tax to 3% this year, which could otherwise have been much higher due to the inflationary context. To make up for the shortfall, Quebec will grant an additional subsidy of 150 million to school service centers.
This was announced on Friday by the office of the Minister of Finance, Eric Girard. The school tax rate will increase from $0.09730 to $0.09152 per $100 of assessment. An important nuance, however: the tax rate decreases since the value of properties increases from year to year, so that the amount paid does indeed increase.
Everything is in line with the decision taken by Quebec two years ago to limit the increase in several government rates to 3%. We therefore did not want to deviate from it with the school tax either. Last October, Prime Minister François Legault also pledged to “never” increase electricity rates beyond inflation or a ceiling of 3%.
Thus, the average school tax bill in Quebec, which is currently $355, will increase by approximately $10, for a total of $365 in 2024-2025. “Without this intervention, the average tax bill would have increased by 15%, or $54,” said the government, which had already intervened for even greater increases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional aid of $150 million is planned to help school service centers absorb the shortfall. The government’s bill for funding school service centers rises to almost $2 billion per year.
Quebec already pays $1.8 billion each year since it chose to reduce the school tax bill and maintain a single rate in the province.
First established in July 2020, during the first mandate of the Legault government, this single rate is changed on an annual basis, according to the needs of school service centers and the fluctuation of property values.
“We are prioritizing the quality of education services while limiting the increase in the school tax bill for Quebec families,” Minister Eric Girard declared on this subject on Friday.
His colleague Bernard Drainville, the Minister of Education, argued that this gesture allows both to offer “a little respite to families” while ensuring “to provide school service centers with the necessary financial resources to provide services that will allow students to reach their full potential.
“This once again demonstrates the importance our government places on education and academic success,” he persisted.