It seems everyone is talking about the Census these days. Someone got a long form, someone else got a multiple page form. It’s all very confusing but in the end, the fact remains that is still a requirement for the head of household to complete a Census. I’ve been told that those homes which have not mailed their statement in by the end of May will be first designated to a canvasser for follow up.
I have spoken to one of the canvass organizers and he’s indicated to me that canvassers are needed. The rate of pay is $14.72 per hour plus expenses for Canvassers and $18.04 per hour for Crew Leaders.
If you meet the following criteria, you are eligible:
18 years old
A Canadian Citizen or eligible to work in Canada
Able to commit 20 hours per week minimum; days, evenings; weekends and holidays
A drivers license and access to a vehicle is required in some areas. You should be computer literate and have access to a home computer and internet. You’ll also be required to pass a written test, interview, reference check and RCMP Security clearance.
So, if you’re looking for a little extra income on the side, this might be a good fit for you. If you’re interested, you can register here.
I’d also like to comment that this sounds like it will be horrifically expensive to the average Canadian tax payer. May I suggest that everyone complete and mail in their census form right away to avoid having to pay for this elephant? For every household that does not complete and mail in the Census form, it could cost the taxpayer upwards of $25.00 each! If you do the math, the cost to you and I for this relatively benign information is astronomical!
Property Tax Assessment Notice & Mill Rates for the City of Calgary
If you haven’t already received it, you should be receiving your Property Tax Assessment Notice in the mail. You have 60 days to review your assessment, and the deadline to file this is notated in the bottom left hand corner.
The City of Calgary Property Assessments are on the most appropriate of the tree acceptable approaches to determining value:
Sales Comparison Approach – Based on recent sales of similar properties
Income approach – Used mainly for apartments and commercial buildings
Cost Approach – Land Value plus depreciated replacement cost
MILL RATE
The City of Calgary establishes the mill rate based on their budgeted requirements for the following year. It is called the Mill Rate because it is expressed in mills (one tenth of one cent) per dollar.
The Mill Rate for 2010 is .0058734
The Mill Rate for 2011 is .0054291
To determine your tax amount, multiply the Mill Rate by your assessed Value. I like to take a thousand off each side which is easier for me, so if your home is assessed at $500,000 just multiply 500 times 5.4291 pegging your 2011 City of Calgary property tax at $2714.55 so you can practically do that in your head. The same result would be achieved by multiplying 500,000 x .0054291.
The Mill Rate is determined by estimating all the money that the city will need for the year starting July 1st of this year until June 30th of the next year, and dividing that by the cumulative assessed value of every property in the city.
The assessed value was determined as at July 1st of the previous year. It should be noted that just because your accessed value may have increased it doesn’t mean your taxes will go up if projected city expenses have not. Conversely, if your assessment went down, your taxes might still go up based on their income requirements.
You may indicate to the city whether you would like your school support to go to the public or separate school boards. A percentage of your city taxes goes towards that. If you own more than one property, you may support different school boards, but you may not split your support on the same property.
PAYMENT METHODS
Most people these days prefer to pay their taxes monthly utilizing the Tax Instalment Payment Plan (TIPP) instead of paying the entire amount in advance for the year. For more information on the tips program please call 311.
If your taxes are already included in your mortgage payments (PIT – Principal, Interest and Taxes) you will not have to remit taxes as this is already being done on your behalf by your financial institution. Please check your mortgage documents or call your financial institution or mortgage broker if you are unsure.
DISPUTES
Should you wish to dispute your assessment, you will also need to enclose the Complaint fee which is in the corresponding box on the Tax Notice. If the fee is not received with your dispute notice by the deadline date, your application will be denied.
You will be required to present a good case as to why your assessment is too high. A reduction of $10,000 in the accessed value for 2011 would translate to a reduction of taxes in the amount of $54.29 for the same period, minus the Complaint Fee, so one should weight the costs vs. benefit to determine if it will be worth your while after all is said and done.
Once you have filed your complaint before the deadline with the appropriate complaint fee enclosed, you will be required to go before a review panel consisting of a minimum of three panel members and a city tax assessor. You may bring legal council. Should you decide to bring legal council, you need to mention this in your complaint so that the city might also have the opportunity to provide their own council. Otherwise they may not be allowed into the committee room.
INFORMATION & INQUIRIES
For additional information please consult the following resources:
Telephone 403-268-2888 – Monday to Friday 8 to 4:30
Fax – 403-268-8278
Mailing Address:
The City of Calgary Assessment #8002 PO Box 2100 Station M Calgary, AB, Canada T2P 2M5
In Person – 2924 11th Street NE - Phone ahead for appointment
Please note: The City of Calgary is notorious for changing their link URL’s often so I will not try and keep up with them. If these links no longer function, please call 311 for the correct URL or Google it. Thank you for your understanding.
Do you know anyone who is looking to buy or sell real estate in Calgary in the near future? If so, please give me a call or pass my name along. My thanks!
If you haven’t already received it, you should be receiving your Property Tax Assessment Notice in the mail. You have 60 days to review your assessment, and the deadline to file this is notated in the bottom left hand corner.
