More people failed to pay property taxes in 2019: City of Regina
"The numbers are a little bit different from last year, a little bit higher."
by Jennifer AckermanCity of Regina administration says the number of people who have failed to pay their 2019 property taxes is up compared to the previous year.
“The numbers are a little bit different from last year, a little bit higher,” said Deborah Bryden, director of assessment, taxation and utility billing for the city. “But compared to previous years, it does kind of fluctuate.”
Every year, the city puts a notice of tax enforcement in the Leader-Post. This year the list of outstanding property taxes spans four full pages with amounts owed for 2019 ranging from $88 to more than $117,000.
It includes all property types — residential, commercial, vacant land, abandoned lots, etc. — and is the first formal step in the tax enforcement process.
Approximately 1,200 properties made the list this time around, but Bryden says that only represents about two per cent of the city’s total tax levy.
“Over 98 per cent of our residents pay their property taxes,” she said. “We work really hard with people to get their taxes paid. Our end game is not to take properties.”
Property taxes are due in June each year. The city begins sending reminder notices and letters to those who don’t meet that deadline in July. Multiple notices are sent before the newspaper advertisement is placed. With each reminder, Bryden said the city gets a 30 to 40 per cent response rate and the list of properties owing gets reduced significantly.
In January, the city sent a warning letter to everyone still owing property taxes to let them know an advertisement was going to be placed. City administration goes through a number of legislated steps after the advertisement, which is determined by The Tax Enforcement Act and includes everything from putting liens on the property to taking title of the land.
“We don’t proceed to take title very often,” said Byrden, adding the city only did so once with an abandoned property in 2019 and didn’t take title of any properties the year before that.
The city offers a number of ways for residents to pay their taxes, as well as flexibility through the Tax Instalment Payment Plan Service (TIPPS), which many people use to plan ahead and make monthly payments leading up to the June due date, said Bryden.
She said Regina ranks “really well” in terms of the percentage of properties in tax arrears compared to other Canadian cities.
“While we have a small number of property arrears recording every year, really Regina property owners are pretty responsible,” she said.
A total of $21.20 for administrative costs has been added to each property owner’s balance still outstanding. A penalty of 1.75 per cent will be added on March 1 and the first day of each month thereafter on any balances still outstanding on that date.
Bryden said the outstanding debt does not have an impact on city operations.