New municipal tax calculation to hit residents come end of February

Taylor Clark

With tax season around the corner, Gatineau residents will notice a new way of calculating their municipal taxes come the end of February.

An amendment was adopted by the City on January 30 to cushion the impact of never-before-seen increases in the assessment roll by reducing the gap between the larger tax increases and decreases. “We did everything in the Ville de Gatineau with several cities in Quebec to ask the government for the power to help our citizens.… Today, what they are offering us is a measure in the provision of customer service … to help thousands of citizens who received a slap in the face with the assessment roll,” Mayor France Bélisle told district councillors at the Comité plénier meeting on January 23.

Under the 2024 to 2026 assessment roll, the residential average adjustment was 71.9 per cent, which left several Gatineau properties well beyond this average. 

Director of the finance department and treasurer Mario St-Pierre explained to the Comité plénier that if the value of a property surpasses the average for its category, the property will experience a tax increase greater than that declared by the municipal council. In December 2023, the Government of Quebec approved an amendment to the Act respecting municipal taxation with the passage of Bill 39, which offered new provisions regarding taxation. Of the possible options, taxing by neighbourhood unit was selected as the most advantageous for residents. Neighbourhood units refer to a set of neighbouring properties in a similar environment with uniform characteristics, of which there are 1,069 in Gatineau.

This taxation strategy will generally help reduce the impact on properties that have seen the largest increase in their value while alleviating the tax burden on most Gatineau residents. Based on neighbourhood units, a property whose value on the 2021 to 2023 roll was $206,300 and is now valued at $421,300 would have a tax variation of 8 per cent, representing an increase of $203 rather than $321 compared to the 2023 tax bill.

The modification was not met with open arms by all district councillors. Parc-de-la-Montagne-Saint-Raymond district councillor Marc Bureau shared his discontent on Facebook on February 1. “In our neighbourhood that was already one of the hardest hit by the new land assessment roll, it’s going to be even worse for 3,445 properties compared to the 321 that this measure will help,” wrote Bureau. While the rest of the territory may see a lessened impact, Bureau said his district and centre-ville will be hit the hardest.

Tax bills will be sent out at the end of February with further explanation of the changes. The deadline for the first of four payments will be March 27. Residents can receive their bill online by registering via the citizen portal.

The Government of Québec offers a grant to seniors to partly compensate for the increase in municipal taxes following a significant increase in the value of their homes. If the value of a senior’s property increases by more than 80.83 per cent, the City will calculate the potential grant and the information will appear on his or her 2024 tax account as an important message.

Photo caption: Ville de Gatineau Mayor France Bélisle highlights potential of the new municipal tax calculating measure for residents as they face increased property value from the new assessment roll.

Photo credit: Screenshot from a Comité plénier meeting on January 23