Property Taxation And Assessment

The emphasis of this course is on exploring current policy issues with respect to the property tax by providing a framework for analysis and then applying that framework to the tax. The course provides information on how the property tax is administered in Canadian jurisdictions. 

Since most provinces have websites that describe the details of property assessment and taxation and since the readings for this course provide province-by-province descriptions of the tax, the modules in this course generally provide only some examples from specific provinces to illustrate how the tax works. 

Course Outline:

• Module 1: The Role of Property Tax in Municipal Finance
• This module provides an introduction to the role of property tax in municipal finance, describes public finance criteria for evaluating taxes, and reviews some of the economic effects of property tax.
• Module 2: Defining and Calculating Property Tax
• This module describes what is included in the property tax base and then discusses how property is assessed for tax purposes. It also also looks at assessment administration.
• Module 3: Setting the Property Tax Rate
• This module reviews the administration of property tax including identification of properties, preparation of the assessment roll, setting of tax rates, issuing tax bills, collecting taxes, and enforcing tax collection.
• Module 4: Property Tax Measures and Relief
• This module examines and evaluates property tax relief measures, such as property tax credits, tax deferrals for seniors, exemptions, homestead exemptions, or assessment credits. 
• Module 5: Property Tax Reform
• This module focuses on property tax reform in different Canadian jurisdictions and examines potential policy issues arising from property tax reform.
• Module 6: Financing Municipalities
• This module describes and evaluates the use of other land-based taxes in Canada, such as land transfer taxes, development charges, and land value capture taxes.

What You Will Learn:

• Explain the important role of property tax in municipal finance in Canada and elsewhere
• Describe the unique characteristics of the property tax
• Analyze the economic effects of the property tax
• Describe what is included in the property tax base and what types of properties are excluded
• Explain how the assessment system works
• Describe how property tax rates can be set to achieve different objectives
• Describe and evaluate the use of land transfer taxes in Canada
• Describe how development charges are used in Canada and evaluate them according to public finance criteria