Backgrounder as City Council gets set to deal with tax share reality

In advance of the Strategic Meeting of Council on April 1, The City has prepared information on calgary.ca/OurFinances to aid citizens in the discussion on the Tax Shift and the decisions that will be made that day. The content provided online includes information on the historical situation, present concerns and the future approach as detailed below:

1. The Past – a summary of the history of the problem including information on key focal areas of economy, business support and the assessment shift.
2. The Present – an overview on the assessment shift (2015 to 2018), comparisons of municipal commercial and residential property taxes, misconceptions regarding ratios as leading indicators and the previous Phased Tax Programs in 2017 and 2018.
3. The Future – an overview of the approach and levers Council will consider leading up to its discussion and decision on April 1 along with a brief overview of the downtown strategy moving forward.

To access the information online directly please visit calgary.ca/taxshift.

The City prides itself in being strong stewards of public dollars and delivering services that make life better for Calgarians every day.

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