Durham Region Real Estate - John Owen


Ontario Property Tax Rates 2023

Which cities have the highest taxes in Ontario for 2023?

Last updated June 6, 2023

Municipalities across Ontario are set up to have budgets completed and approved by April 30 of each year. The province also completes the education levy, which is included in the municipal tax rate, by this time. Tax rates for 2023 are published after this date and will be updated here once available.

Clarington has passed Oshawa for the highest property tax rate in Durham this year. Also, Markham now has the lowest property tax rate in the province. Up until 2022, Toronto had that distinction.

If you see a 2023 update for a municipality that isn't showing yet on this page, kindly send me an email with a link to the municipality web page at johnowen@remax.net

Highest property tax rates in Ontario 2023


Which cities have the lowest taxes in Ontario for 2023?

These are the cities with the lowest municipal tax rates for homes in Ontario. This list is updated as cities publish their rates for the year.

Lowest property tax rates in Ontario 2023

Ontario Property Tax Rates by City for 2022

Municipal Property Tax Rates 2022


https://johnowen.realtor/





Property Class and Percentage
Property Assessed Value and Tax

MunicipalityResidentialMulti Res.CommIndustrial
600,000800,0001,000,000
Phone
Ajax1.11644301.95126602.27699202.8295270
6,699  8,932  11,164 
905-683-4550 x 361
Brock1.23251702.16792002.44529903.0644030
7,395  9,860  12,325 
705-432-2355
Clarington1.17455502.05973302.36125502.9471170
7,047  9,396  11,746 
905-623-3379
Oshawa1.32562502.34170602.68030603.2528070
7,954  10,605  13,256 
905-725-3356
Pickering1.10119101.92280002.25487702.7986650
6,607  8,810  11,012 
905-420-4614
Scugog1.11623501.95087902.22766902.8291060
6,697  8,930  11,162 
905-985-7346
Uxbridge1.06276901.85108402.19916402.6673770
6,377  8,502  10,628 
905-852-9181x210
Whitby1.14707802.00844702.32141302.8915170
6,882  9,177  11,471 
905-430-4304
------------ GTA --------------








Aurora0.78007200.78007201.71532201.9104040
4,680  6,241  7,801 
905-727-3123
Brampton0.98078101.56436701.95371502.0968380
5,885  7,846  9,808 
905-874-2000
East Gwillimbury0.79465500.79465501.73474801.9343670
4,768  6,357  7,947 
905-478-4282
King Township0.80062000.80062001.74269501.9441690
4,804  6,405  8,006 
905-833-5321
Markham0.64501700.64501701.55210301.7884830
3,870  5,160  6,450 
905-475-4864
Milton0.70345601.25391201.57229102.0308380
4,221  5,628  7,035 
905-878-7252
Mississauga0.82973801.00943801.90659701.9729470
4,978  6,638  8,297 
905-615-4311
Newmarket0.81062800.81062801.75602701.9606140
4,864  6,485  8,106 
905-895-5193
Orangeville1.35304102.55308302.34405003.5181710
8,118  10,824  13,530 
519-941-0440
Richmond Hill0.67065000.67065001.56956201.7306020
4,024  5,365  6,707 
905-771-8949
Stouffville0.74403500.75503501.66731801.8511890
4,464  5,952  7,440 
905-640-1900
Toronto0.63193301.09338402.12200902.0846810
3,792  5,055  6,319 
416-338-4829
Vaughan0.68278400.68278401.58572701.7505420
4,097  5,462  6,828 
905-832-8566
------ OUTSIDE GTA -----








Port Hope1.62612703.09925403.08969103.9735670
9,757  13,009  16,261 
905-883-4544
Cobourg1.49568002.83835002.89401003.6996200
8,974  11,965  14,957 
905-372-4301
Hamilton Township1.16902902.18505802.40404403.0136570
7,014  9,352  11,690 
905-342-2810
Brighton1.29003902.42707802.58555903.2677820
7,740  10,320  12,900 
613-475-0670x201
Quinte West (Trenton)1.42728502.70157002.84048804.3669020
8,564  11,418  14,273 
613-392-2841x4902
Cavan Monaghan1.24791901.88461502.08287802.5696790
7,488  9,983  12,479 
705-932-9338
Peterborough1.49144402.75923202.88766602.8876660
8,949  11,932  14,914 
705-742-7777
Lindsay1.32445402.44532702.49579202.4573010
7,947  10,596  13,245 
705-324-9411
Belleville1.69821303.24342603.84545204.5885410
10,189  13,586  16,982 
613-967-3243
Kingston (central)1.39936602.24752103.31949904.1203440
8,396  11,195  13,994 
613-546-0000
Barrie1.25482201.25482202.45905002.5507240
7,529  10,039  12,548 
705-726-4242
Burlington0.75383801.35467701.64567402.1361740
4,523  6,031  7,538 
905-335-7750
Oakville0.73232401.31164801.61433602.0911920
4,394  5,859  7,323 
905-845-6601
Hamilton1.24524902.73005103.04265204.3735700
7,471  9,962  12,452 
905-634-2971
Cambridge1.23258002.25816002.98516002.9851600
7,395  9,861  12,326 
519-623-1340
Guelph1.18371301.99417102.77651203.1525160
7,102  9,470  11,837 
519-822-1260
Kitchener1.14112202.07983803.46318002.8068380
6,847  9,129  11,411 
519-741-2450
Waterloo0.84883800.84883802.78863002.7886300
5,093  6,791  8,488 
519-747-8718
Orillia1.42283101.90282703.20760003.2190290
8,537  11,383  14,228 
705-325-1311
St. Catharines1.49393802.79464603.20639404.4066670
8,964  11,952  14,939 
905-688-5600
Windsor1.85376003.55452004.30532004.8185840
11,123  14,830  18,538 
877-746-4311
London1.42230802.32590303.67437803.6743780
8,534  11,378  14,223 
519-661-2489
Niagara Falls1.34601502.50323802.94976104.0176280
8,076  10,768  13,460 
905-356-7521
Ottawa1.14456501.53726402.74078503.4011000
6,867  9,157  11,446 
613-580-2424
North Bay1.61912003.07057903.63630602.9325680
9,715  12,953  16,191 
705-474-0400
Sarnia1.55643102.95986103.16352303.7536260
9,339  12,451  15,564 
519-332-0330
Thunder Bay1.63410403.11520803.85903204.3914550
9,805  13,073  16,341 
807-625-2230




© John Owen, 2022














Who has the highest property taxes in Ontario?

The city with the highest property tax rate in Ontario for 2022 was Windsor, with a rate of 1.85376%!

The city with the highest property tax rate in the GTA for 2022 was Oshawa, with a rate of 1.325625%.

For 2023, Clarington has the highest property tax rate in the GTA published thus far at 1.223207%, and for Ontario, Belleville is currently highest at 1.751746% (the rates will almost certainly be higher for Windsor, once published).


Who has the lowest property taxes in Ontario?

Markham has the lowest property tax rate in the province of Ontario thus far for 2023 at 0.662708%.

The rates listed in some of the communities that are located outside of the GTA might help to placate those who think they have the highest tax rates. The grass isn't always greener!

If you look at the average property in each city, the difference in assessed values for similar properties actually makes our area comparable in municipal taxes paid to other GTA cities.

Understanding the municipal tax process

First, we need to understand that our municipal governments have to provide similar services, regardless of how much our properties are worth. In virtually all budgets, the number one expense is for the salaries of public employees - police, fire, EMS, municipal workers, road maintenance, etc. Those people make roughly the same amount from one community to the next.

In those cities with higher average property values, they can apply a lower tax rate to come up with a similar amount of revenue. Of course, there will be differences based on population size and other factors, but you get the idea.

Without delving too much into the process, they establish a budget, and determine from that how much revenue needs to come from property taxes. They then adjust what is called the millage (or mill) rate of each property type to come up with the amount needed to reach the revenue target.

Changes to the assessment value and rate each year are designed to be revenue-neutral. This means that when your MPAC assessment increases, it will be multiplied by a lower tax rate to come up with the same amount of tax. Of course, this assumes that you haven't made any material change to your property, and also that the municipality hasn't increased it's budget. Budgets do increase, for inflation and changes in service levels.

Toronto vs. Oshawa Taxes

For example, the City of Toronto has one of the lowest rates in the province. That may sound wonderful, but when you take into account that it also has one of the highest property assessment averages, the actual amount of municipal tax you pay there isn't much different than in other places.  For example, the average assessment for a single family home in 2016 was $770,000 in Toronto, and in Oshawa, it was $356,000.  

- Toronto $770,000 times 0.688% or $5,298
- Oshawa $356,000 times 1.561% or $5,557


Assessments are completed every 4 years by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). An increase to the assessment value of a home is phased in over a 4 year period, whereas a decrease is applied immediately when calculating taxes.


Also, when you buy a property in Toronto, you must also pay a Municipal Land Transfer Tax on top of the Provincial Land Transfer Tax.  This is a particularly heavy burden for this market, as it adds more to the closing costs that need to be saved for along with the down payment, making it even more difficult in one of the most expensive areas for real estate in Canada.

How property taxes impact the average homeowner


Using the information from the previous table, and average property assessment values for 2016 (MPAC statistics), let's see how the average single family home fares:



City

 Average Value 

2016 Rate

Property  Tax

 Toronto  $770,000  0.688  $5,298 
 Mississauga736,000 0.874 6,433 
 Markham991,000 0.783 7,760 
 Richmond  Hill1,028,000 0.811 8,337 
 Oshawa356,000 1.561 5,557 
 Whitby533,000 1.294 6,897 
 Pickering 563,000 1.266 7,128 
 Ajax511,000 1.266 6,469 
 Clarington 402,000 1.330 5,347 
 Scugog414,000 1.213 5,022 



Of course, these figures only represent averages. On higher-end properties, the rates will have a bigger impact. The rates are also different for different property types, and there are many variations of classes in commercial and industrial properties.  If you have a question regarding another type or another municipality in the area, you can contact me and I would be happy to explain further.



Related articles:


Property Tax Calculator - Durham Region


Why are Property Tax Rates so High in Oshawa?