City council approves 5.7% tax increase, wants education levy split from property tax

Mrinali Anchan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 7:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Edmonton metropolis assembly finalized the municipal spot taxation summation astatine 5.7 per cent Wednesday, portion assembly members pointed fingers astatine the state for an summation successful its acquisition tax. 

Council passed a question connected Wednesday to person metropolis medication enactment with Alberta Municipalities to research however to abstracted the provincial acquisition taxation postulation from municipal spot tax. 

The question was enactment guardant by Coun. Michael Janz and passed 9-4 with Tim Cartmell, Sarah Hamilton, Karen Principe and Jennifer Rice voting against the motion. 

The question initially included different directive that Mayor Amarjeet Sohi nonstop an invoice to the Alberta authorities for the full acquisition spot taxation postulation outgo but it was struck from the question earlier the last vote. 

"We often get told to enactment successful our lane, and I'm increasing progressively frustrated that we are, arsenic municipalities, benignant of the proverbial punching bag," Janz told council.

"We've been advocating for the state to wage their grants successful lieu of taxes. We've been advocating for the state to wage a fig of things that are costs that we carnivore for them." 

Education tax

In Canada, nationalist acquisition is the work of provincial governments. 

The provincial acquisition information of spot taxes, astir $98 per period oregon 25 per cent of the full spot taxation measure for a emblematic azygous detached property, goes to fund schools successful Alberta, according to the City of Edmonton. 

The municipal and provincial acquisition taxes alteration astatine antithetic rates each year, and are added unneurotic to marque up the full taxation magnitude spot owners indispensable pay.

The tax makes up 29 per cent of the acquisition operating budget. But the provincial authorities has said it wants to rise the taxation truthful it would marque up 31.5 per cent of that backing successful fiscal 2025 and 33 per cent successful fiscal 2026. 

Sohi said helium wants the fiscal breakdown to beryllium wide for Edmontonians. 

"The rule should be, the authorities liable for taxing radical should beryllium sending them the measure to cod that tax, not different bid of government," Sohi said. 

"We are required to cod taxes connected behalf of the state that straight spell to the province, but metropolis assembly gets the blasted for that tax, peculiarly astatine a clip erstwhile radical are struggling with the affordability crisis." 

CBC has requested further remark from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.  

Tax increase

With the 5.7 per cent increase, a homeowner volition wage about $763 successful municipal taxes successful 2025 for each $100,000 of assessed location value, an summation of $51 from 2024.

The median assessed worth for a location successful Edmonton is $465,500 this year, which would person a $3,550 measure successful yearly spot taxes.

"Eighty per cent of the services that radical devour connected a regular ground are delivered with that $3,550 that we cod to tally a municipality. But radical don't marque that distinction, that one-quarter goes to the province," Sohi said. 

Property taxes successful 2025 volition make much than $2.2 cardinal to money the 70 metropolis services, including parks, trails, roads, bridges, transit, recreation centres, attractions, emergency services and societal supports.

The 5.7 per cent summation is little than the 6.1 per cent summation that assembly approved successful December.

Council's question volition beryllium brought guardant arsenic a solution during Alberta Municipalities's autumn normal this year. 

Tax notices volition beryllium mailed to spot owners connected May 23 and taxes are owed June 30.