PLEA gratefully acknowledges our primary core funder the Law Foundation of Saskatchewan for their continuing and generous support of our organization.
Municipalities such as cities, towns and RMs are the local government for their specific area. They are responsible for providing many local services. This includes garbage collection, public transit and road repairs.
Municipal governments have budgets that they must pay for each year. They receive some funding from both the provincial and federal governments. However, a large part of their revenue comes from property taxes.
Not all your property taxes go to the municipality, even though the municipality is required to collect it. Some of it goes to fund libraries and education. Tax rates for libraries are set by library boards and approved by the municipality’s council. The tax rate for education is set by the provincial government.
Property taxes in Saskatchewan are based on the assessed value of the property in question and a tax rate set by the municipality. An assessed value is based on things like location, size and sales of similar properties. It is only an estimate of a property’s value. It does not have to be exactly what the property would sell for. Properties in Saskatchewan are reassessed every 4 years.
You can appeal your property assessment if you think it is incorrect. You must usually do so within 30 days of the date on your notice of assessment. Contact your municipality to ask about this.
Properties are taxed on a percentage of their assessed value, not their whole value. The percentage used is set by the provincial government. This taxable value is combined with a mill rate to calculate the amount of tax owing. A mill rate is the amount paid for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.
Municipalities set mill rates based on the total amount of revenue they need for their budget. Municipalities can also set mill rate factors which change the mill rate for different classes of property. Different classes of property can be things like agricultural, commercial and residential properties. Your municipality can give you information on mill rates and assessed property values.
For example, your property has an assessed value of $100,000. If the government has set the percentage of value at 80%, your property’s taxable value would be $80,000. If the mill rate is 10, then you would pay $10 for every $1,000 of taxable value. As a result, you would pay $800 in property taxes.
The Regina Public Library and Saskatoon Public Library are hosting free Law Fair events during Saskatchewan Access to Justice Week to connect people with free legal information, assistance, and support. Attend to acquire legal knowledge and to broaden awareness of legal rights and responsibilities!