Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption (LCGE)

Property tax is an annual municipal levy on real estate, charged by the city or town where the property sits rather than by the CRA. The bill is the assessed value of the property multiplied by the tax rate the municipality sets each year, and it funds local services such as roads, waste collection, policing and the education portion the province adds. Assessed value is set by a provincial assessment authority, so it is not the price you paid.

Multiply the pre-tax price by the combined rate for the province where the supply is made, then add that amount to the price. If the price already includes tax, divide the total by one plus the rate to get the pre-tax amount, and the difference is the tax. The rate depends on the province of supply rather than where your business sits, so verify the current rate for that province and confirm the item is not zero-rated or exempt.

Income up to the basic personal amount is effectively untaxed, because that credit offsets the federal tax on it, and each province and territory has its own equivalent amount. Both figures change every year with indexation, so look up the amount for the tax year in question. Other credits, such as the age amount, tuition, or the disability amount, lift the point where tax actually starts. Tax withheld at source below that point comes back as a refund.

Contact your municipality’s tax or revenue office and ask for a reissued bill; most cities also let you view and pay it in an online property tax account set up with your roll number. Not receiving the bill does not cancel the obligation or stop late-payment charges, so ask for the amount and due dates straight away. Update your mailing address, and check whether your lender already pays the tax through your mortgage.