Zorra-Now-Winter2023

TOWNSHIP DEPARTMENT INFORMATION 14 Zorra Now | Winter 2023 Tax Department Property assessment for the 2024 taxation year will continue to be based on the January 1, 2016 valuation date and will remain the same as 2023 unless there has been a change to the property. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is responsible for accurately assessing and classifying all properties in Ontario in accordance with the Assessment Act and Regulations established by the Ontario Government. If you feel that your property assessment is not a reasonable reflection of your property’s value and/or classification, you can ask MPAC for a review. This review is free of charge. Visit MPAC's AboutMyProperty at www.mpac.ca if you have inquiries and to learn more about how your property was assessed, see the information MPAC has on file and compare it to others in your neighbourhood. The Township is responsible to collect taxes on behalf of the County of Oxford and the school boards within our municipal jurisdiction. The Township also collects taxes on behalf of our policing and conservation authority partners. Property taxes are calculated based on the property’s assessed value using the established tax rate for the property’s classification. PROPERTY TAXES ARE BILLED TWICE EACH CALENDAR YEAR on an interim tax bill and a final tax bill. The interim tax bill will be mailed the first week of February 2024 and will contain 2 instalments, with the first instalment being due on February 29th and the second instalment being due on May 31st. The interim tax bill is calculated at 50% of the previous year’s total taxes billed on the property. The final tax bill will be mailed in July 2024 and will contain 2 instalments, with the first instalment being due on August 30th and the second instalment being due on October 31st. The final tax bill amount is determined following Council’s adoption of the Township’s budget, the passage of the tax rating by-law for 2024, notification from the County of Oxford of the county tax rates for 2024 and notification from the Province of Ontario of the education tax rates for 2024. The final tax bill reflects the total taxes assessed on the property for the year less the amount already charged on the interim tax bill. WHAT IS A SUPPLEMENTARY TAX BILL/NOTICE? A supplementary tax notice is a tax bill issued by the Township which reflects any additions, improvements or changes in classification that have been made to your property as determined by MPAC. For example, owners of newly constructed homes will receive a supplementary tax notice pertaining to the assessed value of their house effective from their occupancy date. Owners may receive multiple bills for more than one tax year. Supplementary tax bills can also be issued for omissions of assessment. The supplementary tax notice is in addition to what may have been previously billed on the property. This tax notice does not include payments already made to your tax account or future instalments that have been previously billed and are still outstanding. Prior to receiving a supplementary tax bill, you should have already received a Notice of Assessment from MPAC indicating the reason for your supplementary/omitted tax bill(s). If you feel that your supplementary/omitted assessment is incorrect, a Request for Reconsideration (RFR) process is available. Please refer to the Notice of Assessment sent by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) for the deadline to file an RFR. Please contact MPAC at 1-866-296-6722 or visit www.MPAC.ca for more details. DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN NOW CHOOSE TO RECEIVE YOUR PROPERTY TAX BILL BY EMAIL? By signing up for e-Billing you will receive your property tax in a PDF format, to the email address of your choice, rather than a copy through the mail. The bill is considered delivered if the e-Bill is not returned as an undeliverable email. Visit our forms page at www.zorra.ca to sign up online. There is a fee to have a tax statement or duplicate copy of your bill printed or emailed to you. DID YOU KNOW THAT WE OFFER 3 PRE-AUTHORIZED PAYMENT PLAN OPTIONS FOR THE PAYMENT OF PROPERTY TAXES? Now is the perfect time to enrol in this free service! Payment options include: 4 instalments with payments being withdrawn on the regular instalment due dates for the amounts indicated on your tax bill; 10 instalments with payments being withdrawn from your account on the last business day of the month from January to October; or 12 instalments with payments being withdrawn from your account on the last business day of the month from January to December. Please visit the Forms page at www.zorra.ca and complete a Pre-Authorized Payment Application form if you are interested. Remember that if, for any reason, you wish to be removed from this payment plan, or if your banking information changes, you must notify the tax office in writing at least thirty (30) days before the next pre-authorized payment is due. If you are currently enrolled in the pre-authorized payment plan, you DO NOT have to re-apply each year. WE ACCEPT PAYMENTS USING INTERNET OR TELEPHONE BANKING. Remember to use your 15-digit property roll number indicated on your tax bill to register. To setup your property taxes as a bill payment through your online banking, go to “add a bill” and search for “Zorra”. Select Zorra Township Tax and enter the Roll Number from your tax bill as your account number. Use your roll number starting after the 3227 and eliminating any dashes. If you own multiple properties, please set up a separate bill for each property. Please ensure that you have allowed at least 3 business days for the payment to reach our office to avoid being charged penalty/interest. Penalty charges of 1.25% will be added to instalments not paid and received by the due date. Interest charges of 1.25% are applied on the first day of each month until the balance is paid. Failure to receive a tax bill or arrears notice does not exempt the taxpayer from late payment charges. Happy Holidays and all the best in 2024! Kim Grogan, Tax Collector/Deputy Treasurer 519-485-2490 x 7222 kgrogan@zorra.ca