On Wednesday, April 28, Council approved the annual Tax Policy report that sets tax ratios for various tax classes for 2021 and the property tax due dates for 2022. The City will adopt neutral ratios and use all optional property classes permitted by the Assessment Act to allow for different taxation levels within a property class and minimize shifting the tax burden between tax classes.
The approved report will enable staff to continue tax mitigation measures aimed at keeping Ottawa affordable. Similar to those approved in previous years, this year’s measures include rebates to charitable organizations, deferral of taxes and water bills for low-income seniors and persons with disabilities and the farm grant program.
Staff will also work on creating a small business property tax subclass that could provide a 10-per-cent tax discount for about 4,700 commercial properties in Ottawa that house roughly 7,800 small businesses. The discount would be offset by an increase of 0.68 per cent for 7,300 large commercial and industrial properties. Staff will consult and report back with final recommendations by the end of the third quarter.
