The General Manager of Finance and Corporate services Department sent City Council an update this week on enhancements to the Vacant Unit Tax (VUT) declaration process following City Council direction on August 23, 2023 (motion 2023-19-09) to:
a) Improve and further simplify the declaration process
b) Increase access by allowing declaration to be completed at Client Service Centres
c) Open the declaration portal earlier in December with notices to declare going out in January
d) Leverage data obtained in the first year to improve customer service and reduce the volume of late declarations
Staff have been analyzing the VUT data, and have made several enhancements to the online declaration form, such as:
• adjusting the order of questions to reduce declaration errors
• the elimination of drop down menus
• using more user-friendly questions
• improving My ServiceOttawa integration.
More improvements will be introduced in January, including:
• the ability to submit a declaration in-person at a client service center
• an updated guide and fact sheet which will be distributed to residents
• more in-person declaration opportunities
• a new video promoting the purpose and benefits of the VUT.
This year the VUT declaration portal will open early for residents who want to declare before the
formal declaration period. The portal opened on December 14 with notices being distributed in
January, along with a complementary robust communication campaign to formally launch the 3-
month declaration period. The deadline to declare is March 21, 2024.
