On Monday council unanimously agreed to a 1.5% property tax increase for 2017, which will be negated to a zero percent increase after a rebate from the city’s fiscal sustainability reserve fund, or the so-called ‘rainy-day fund’.
They also agreed to freeze transit fares, recreation fees, park fees and pet licensing fees for another year.
Many Calgarians expressed outrage at their property tax increase this year.
At the end of May, Ward 10 councillor Andre Chabot defended the increase, “We have to pass it on to tax payers, so the provincial portion of your property tax bill is going up 10 per cent. The municipal portion is only going up by three-and- a-half per cent.”
READ MORE: Ouch! Property tax hike outrages many Calgary homeowners
At this point, taxes are expected to increase by 4.7% for 2018.