Tax Rates

Tax rates are approved by Council each year, and the current year's taxes are posted at that time. The previous year's tax rates are available for comparison purposes.

Property taxes make up the vast majority of the revenue needed by Strathroy-Caradoc to provide the services local residents require. Taxes are calculated each year based on the total amount of revenue needed by the municipality, the revenue needed by Middlesex County, of which Strathroy-Caradoc is a part, and the annual school levy imposed by the province. The combination of the three is then applied to the assessed value of every property in the municipality.

Where your taxes go

Taxes paid by property owners go to three different destinations:

Strathroy-Caradoc uses about 54.8 percent of all property tax revenue it collects to pay for the services it provides, including road maintenance, parks and recreation, police and fire protection, garbage and recycling, and cultural facilities.

Middlesex County receives about 31.9 percent of total tax revenue to pay for the services it provides, including maintaining the county road system, long-term seniors care at Strathmere Lodge, the county library system, and the county share of services like Ontario Works, Middlesex-London EMS ambulance service, and social housing.

The remaining 13.3 percent of the tax revenue collected by the municipality goes to the province of Ontario to help fund education costs.

Taxpayers should note these percentages refer to the number of tax dollars collected by Strathroy-Caradoc, not the specific tax rates charged to individual property owners. The rates themselves are affected by the factor and ratios applied to each assessment class before they are calculated, so the percentages aren't necessarily the same.

Local property owners receive two tax bills over the course of a year. The first is a notice of an interim levy, and usually arrives in late January or early February. It covers the first two tax billing dates of the year. The second is a final bill, with taxes calculated based on final budget requirements approved by council. This bill is sent once tax rates have been officially approved, and is applied to the last two billing dates of the year.

Property assessment

Individual properties are given an assessed value by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). Every four years, MPAC places a value on every property in Ontario, based on the property's current value assessment ¹ as set out in the Assessment Act. These changes are phased in over a four-year period. MPAC sends out assessment notices to each property owner in the fall of the assessment year outlining individual property values for the next four years.

For more information about your property assessment, we encourage you to access the new AboutMyProperty online tool developed by MPAC. Here, you will learn how and why your property was assessed the way it was. Plus you can compare your property assessment with others in your neighbourhood and community. You can also file a Request for Reconsideration through AboutMyProperty if you do not agree with your property's assessment.

View this video produced by the Region of Niagara for a helpful explanation regarding how property assessment impacts your taxes.

Current assessed value is based on property sales and other changes, such as new construction, renovations, new additions, demolitions, and changes in the assessed property use and surrounding area.

Calculating your tax bill

To calculate your tax bill, you need to know the assessed value of your property, and the total tax rate as set by the municipality.

In 2019, the base residential tax rate is 0.01213391. So if your residential property is valued at $200,000, your tax bill will be approximately as follows:

$200,000 x 0.01213391  = $2,426.78.

To calculate the taxes for your own property, refer to your property assessment notice and multiply its assessed value by the tax rate above.