Property taxes form a very significant portion of the revenues of the Township of Madawaska Valley and are required to ensure that staff can provide the services and projects directed by council through the budget process.
Interim Tax Billing
This is the first tax bill that a resident receives in a given year. It is calculated based on 50% of the previous year’s Final Tax Billing. This billing is issued in February with installments due in March and April.
Final Tax Billing
This is the second tax bill that a resident receives in a given year. It is calculated based on the completed Township Budget and respective tax rates as well as the tax rates provided by the County of Renfrew and the Province of Ontario for education. The Final Tax Billing calculates all required amounts; less the amounts previously billed on the Interim Tax Billing. This bill is issued in August, with installments due in September and October. The Township is obligated to disburse the required funds to the Province and the County regardless of whether or not the Township has received payment for the same. For this reason, we are proactive in attempting to get our property tax accounts receivable as current as possible at all times.
Current tax rates can be found here.
Supplementary Tax Billings and Omits
A supplementary tax billing represents an adjustment to a previous tax bill that reflects any additions or improvements made to a property that was not previously assessed by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). Similarly, when MPAC has omitted or failed to include a property, the newly included item must be assessed. When MPAC has completed their assessment, they advise the Township of the same, and we prepare a supplementary tax billing that reflects the change in assessed value. This process is not immediate but can occur at any time, and assessment changes can be retroactive up to 3 years. When this occurs, the entire billed amount is due as the respective time frame is in the past – residents are encouraged to begin setting aside funds to cover these billings when they occur.
Payments
Taxes may be paid at the Municipal Office (85 Bay St.) via Cash, Cheque or Interac. In addition, payments may be made by any of the following methods:
- By mailing a cheque or money order to 85 Bay Street, Barry’s Bay, ON K0J 1B0
- In person at most financial institutions
- By cheque in the drop box located on the outside of the Municipal Office
- Telephone or online banking, via your financial institution
- E-Pay option available at https://ipn.paymentus.com/rotp/tomv accepts online debit, Visa and Mastercard. A 2.5% processing fee will be applied to the total payment.
To pay by telephone or internet banking, search for ‘Madawaska Valley Tax’ as the payee.
Property Tax Arrears
If your property tax payments are falling behind, please contact our office to discuss how we can help. Penalty and interest is fixed at a rate of 1.25% per month. Penalty and interest will accrue on unpaid taxes commencing on the first day of default and also on the first day of each calendar month thereafter. If you are in tax arrears at the time of billing date, and the arrears remain unpaid before the first due date, there will be 1.25% interest added to the installment amount. Payments received will be credited towards penalty/interest first and then to the oldest taxes owing.*
If your tax bill is to be paid through a mortgage arrangement, it is still your responsibility to ensure that the taxes are, indeed, paid. You will receive a copy of your receipted bill, once payment has been received.
Taxes are payable in Canadian funds. Payments received in US or other funds may be subject to an administration fee.
Other Charges
Payment returned from the bank – $55.00 each
Annual Tax Payment Receipt Summary – $10.00
Past Due Notices – $2.00 per notice
Tax Certificate (usually requested by a lawyer when selling) – $50.00 per roll, within 3 business days ($100 for 1 business day rush)
Property Assessment
All property assessment valuations are completed by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). The Township cannot change these values so if you have questions or concerns regarding your property assessment, please contact MPAC directly at 1-866-296-6722 or visit their website at www.mpac.ca.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uikghy2Yz10 How MPAC Assesses Property
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgGbLotF_QQ How Property Tax is Calculated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI57TJpDcz0 Understanding Phase-Ins
Tax Certificate/Zoning/Final Water Meter Reading
How can I get a tax certificate?
A tax certificate is a statement of outstanding property taxes, which is usually requested by lawyers at the closing of a real estate transaction or mortgage approval.
A request must be submitted that clearly identifies the tax roll(s) in question (for example, a roll number or civic address). A $50 certificate fee must be paid at the time of the request. For a 1 business day turnaround (rush), the fee is $100.
If paying by cheque or money order, the written request and payment can be mailed to:
Township of Madawaska Valley
Box 1000
85 Bay Street
Barry’s Bay ON K0J1B0
Interac e-transfer can be made to payments@madawaskavalley.ca.
Zoning and Building Compliance Request
A zoning and building compliance letter outlines the zoning and building information for a property. This information is requested by landowners or potential purchasers of the property. Submit requests along with the required fee. Staff typically respond to requests within two weeks, this may take longer during peak development season.
Moved? Changed your mailing address?
It is the property owner’s responsibility to inform the Township of any changes of mailing address. To prevent misdirected tax bills, please advise us in writing of any changes as soon as possible. Please be aware, failure to receive a tax bill does not relieve you from payment of taxes nor liability of penalty for late payment.
A CHANGE OF ADDRESS FORM is available here.
We encourage you to change your address with MPAC (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) as well, you can contact them at https://www.mpac.ca/en/MakingChangesUpdates/ChangingYourMailingAddress
The Municipality of Madawaska Valley uses CivicWeb to manage Tax Rates associated documents. Please visit our dedicated documents portal on madawaskavalley.civicweb.net.
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Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) Frequently Asked Questions
What is an MPAC assessment?
An MPAC assessment represents the assessed value of your property as of a specific date. We call this a “valuation date,” and it’s set by the Ontario government. In simple terms, the assessed value is the price your property might reasonably have sold for in its current state and condition on the valuation date.
With the continued postponement of a province-wide assessment update due to the COVID-19 pandemic, property assessments for the 2023 tax year are based on a January 1, 2016 valuation date.
MPAC provides these assessments to municipalities each year on assessment rolls. Municipalities determine their revenue requirements, set municipal tax rates and collect property taxes to pay for municipal services.
How does MPAC determine property value?
To assess residential properties, we compare the details of your property to similar ones that have sold in your area. Based on sales information, there are five major factors that generally account for your property’s assessed value:
- Location of your property
- Lot dimensions
- Exterior square footage
- Quality of construction
- Age of the building, adjusted for any major renovations or additions
More information is available on mpac.ca or you can watch our video on How Sales Affect Your Assessment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A97bAdcQYo.
What happens if the value of my property changes?
It’s important to remember that property assessment and property taxation are not the same thing.
When a province-wide assessment update takes place, the most important factor is not how much your assessed value has changed but how your assessed value has changed relative to the average change for your property type in your municipality.
You can learn more on our website at www.mpac.ca/facts.
Does MPAC assessment impact insurance premiums?
Our assessments are primarily used by municipalities to distribute property taxes.
What if a homeowner disagrees with the assessment?
We encourage property owners to visit mpac.ca and log onto AboutMyProperty™ on mpac.ca to learn more about how your property was assessed, see the information we have on file and compare it to others in your neighbourhood.
If you disagree with your assessment or think there’s an omission or corrections needed to your Property Assessment Notice, you can file a Request for Reconsideration for our review, free of charge. The fastest and easiest way to file a Request for Reconsideration is online through AboutMyProperty.
