When it comes to school taxes, some homeowners are paying far more than their neighbour just because it depended on which schoolboard they were paying. Those without children can choose to pay the one with the lowest rate. Now the Quebec government has tabled a law that will get rid of those differences.
Quebec Education Minister Sebastien Proulx said the tax reforms will mean that the school tax rates will be set at the lowest current rate in the region, "putting an end to an inequity that has lasted for far too long."
Proulx said he new formula makes it more fair in a system where "you now have unequal tax rates in the same region, the same municipality, even in the same neighbourhood and on the same street."
Property owners will also see the first $25,000 of the value of their property exempt from tax assessment, meaning a slight drop in school taxes.
The changes take effect next year with a transition period and then permanently the following year.
The government will compensate school boards for lost revenue with subsidies of up to $600M annually.
Montreal is not included because the tax rate is already standardized.
The government will compensate school boards for lost revenue with subsidies of up to $600M annually.
The opposition parties denounce what they call a pre-election goodie after years of budget cuts.