Dear Ward 5 residents and business owners,
The City of Markham announced on Friday some financial relief measures for residents and businesses in the City. Unfortunately our resources, when compared with the Federal and Provincial governments are very limited, and mostly confined to how we collect property taxes. Here’s what was announced:
Benefits for Residents
- No late payment (penalty and interest) charges for residential property taxpayers from April 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020:
- Property owners enrolled in the Preauthorized Payment Program (PPP) who are not able to make their April 1, 2020 tax payment, should contact their bank to stop payment of the April 1 instalment
- For PPP payments beyond April 1, 2020 there is an option to opt out of the program at least two weeks in advance of the instalment date by completing the cancellation form online.
- Elimination of the 2020 Stormwater Fee of $50
- Deferral of the April 1, 2020 water rate increase of 7.8%
Benefits for Businesses
- No late payment (penalty and interest) charges for non-residential property taxpayers from October 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020
- Deferral of the 2020 Stormwater Fee, a savings of $560 for a property valued at $2M
- Elimination of the April 1, 2020 water rate increase of 7.8%
- Suspension of the Municipal Accommodation Tax from April 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, to provide relief to hoteliers
(https://www.markham.ca/wps/portal/home/news/markham-approves-tax-and-fee-relief)
It is hoped that landlords will pass along any savings to their tenants.
In addition to these measures, there are other programs that have been implemented to assist individuals and small businesses. Here’s a link to a “simplified” guide, but keep in mind, information is constantly changing:
https://aidguide.ca/
Please contact myself or Michelle, we are always available.
Andrew Keyes
Councillor Ward 5