West Island boroughs among the highest taxed

The City of Montreal unveiled its 2023 budget this morning and the results were not necessarily glorious for the two West Island boroughs.

Residents of L’Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève will see their property tax rise to 6%. This is the highest tax burden for residential buildings in all of Montreal. Residents of Pierrefonds-Roxboro are not spared, because, for them, the increase will be 5.4%, the third largest in Montreal.

Between these two West Island boroughs, we find Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (5.7%) and Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (5.4%), equality with the Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro.

For all of Montreal, the average property tax increase will be 4.1% for residential buildings. The total budget amounts to $6.7 billion for 2023. This is the largest tax increase since 2011.

The Plante-Ollivier administration also unveiled its Ten-Year Capital Assets Program (PDI), the value of which amounts to $22 billion for the next ten years. In total, 68.1% of the investments will go to asset protection and 31.9% will go to the development of new infrastructure. Over the next ten years, 51.4% of investments will go to water and road infrastructure.

The police budget will also increase significantly, to nearly 9% more than in 2022, mainly thanks to a transfer from Quebec to counter armed violence. Several dozen police officers should be hired.

The Opposition reacts

The ten elected officials from the boroughs of L’Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève and Pierrefonds-Roxboro are represented at Montreal City Hall by Ensemble Montreal, the Official Opposition party.

Their leader, Harem Salem, was quick to comment on the budget. “Rather than relieving taxpayers in this period of inflation, the Plante-Ollivier administration is instead throwing oil on the fire. The 2023 budget totaling $6.8 billion tabled today is a real blow for Montrealers, which demonstrates their insensitivity to their ability to pay. Otherwise, the Plante-Ollivier administration would have known that it was irresponsible to raise property taxes by 4.1% – the largest increase since 2010 – to be able to absorb its 30% increase in spending. since coming to power.

Borough budget

At the beginning of last October, the Borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro adopted its 2023 budget and its Ten-Year Capital Works Program (PDI) 2023-2032. It then presented a balanced budget of $36.2 million in 2023, an increase of $1.2 million compared to the previous year.

The local tax increase planned for Pierrefonds is 9% and is at the same level as the average increase for the boroughs of Montreal. “The local tax rate will increase from $0.0788 to “coming rate” per $100 assessment. For example: for a residence valued at $601,100, the local borough tax will increase from $324.16 to $350.09, an average increase of $25.93″, specified the mayor of Pierrefonds-Roxboro at the time. Dimitrio Jim Beis.

For Île-Bizard-Sainte-Geneviève, in 2023, the borough’s operating budget is estimated at $13.1 million, compared to 11.9% in 2022. This is the first time in three years that the budget for this borough is balanced.

The local borough tax will increase by 17%. “For example, for a property valued at $548,000, the increase will be $67.16,” explained the mayor of L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève, Stéphane Côté. The local borough tax is equivalent to 5% of the total tax paid by the taxpayer.