Red Deer city council votes to extend property tax deadline; some city facilities closed until July

Red Deer city council voted Tuesday to approve, in principle, pushing back the deadline for homeowners to pay property taxes for 90 days.

The move is to address the ongoing financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the city said the decision to move the deadline to Sept. 30 is “in keeping with changes to the provincial education requisition deadline.”

On Tuesday, councillors also extended the Business Improvement Area tax levy deadline until Sept. 30 and decided not to move forward with “supplementary property taxes or BIA taxes in 2020.”

“Supplementary tax is the amount of tax levies on a supplementary assessment only,” the city said. “This tax is specific to properties that are under construction and were completed or occupied following construction at some point during the year.”

While homeowners and businesses won’t be penalized for not paying their taxes until the new deadline, the city urged those who can pay earlier to do so.

“We recognize the financial and emotional hardship the COVID-19 crisis is causing all Red Deerians, and we want to do our part to ease the financial burden to our taxpayers during this time,” Mayor Tara Veer said in a news release.

[ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ]

“The city has been analyzing potential options for the past few weeks, and city council is glad to share what we hope will be welcome news with our community today.”

City hall remains closed, so those looking to pay property taxes can sign up for the city’s tax installment plan, mail a cheque to the city or pay through their bank or credit union. The city noted that it is not able to process tax payments via credit card.

Source: Read Full Article