Municipal Tax Ratio Policy
The City’s annual budget determines how much it will need to raise from property owners to pay for civic services such as police, fire protection, road maintenance, transit, parks, recreation and snow and ice management.
The tax ratio policy determines how the tax revenue needed to cover those costs are split between residential and non-residential property owners.
City Council's April 2025 approval of a tax ratio of 1.71:1 means that for every $1.00 in property tax that a residential property owner pays, a non-residential property owner will pay $1.71 on an equivalent assessment.
Administrative Reports
Administrative Report - 2017 Municipal Tax Ratio Policy
Administrative Report - 2021 Municipal Tax Ratio Policy
Appendix 1 - Peripheral Issues Relating to Local Tax Policy 2021
Appendix 2 - Discussion Paper - Business Property Taxation by Cities, What We Know, What We Don't Know, & What We Should 2021
Administrative Report: Municipal Tax Policy - Distributing the Non-Residential to Residential Municipal Property Tax Burden, 2025-2029
Related Documents /Financing Growth Study-Hemson Report