Property taxes in rural New Brunswick soar following amalgamations

Robert Jones · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 19, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Tammy Burrell got the 2025 spot taxation measure for her agrarian Salisbury location earlier this month and arsenic she feared, it had risen to $1,309. 

It's little than emblematic spot taxation amounts connected houses successful New Brunswick cities, but for the cost-conscious Burrell, who lives and works successful a agrarian country to prevention money, the magnitude is 59 per cent much than she was paying 3 years ago.  

It's a large jump, and the $486 summation has been putting existent unit connected Burrell's razor-thin household budget.

"I unrecorded a precise basal life," Burrell said successful an interview.

"I don't drink, I don't smoke. I can't spend to spell retired and eat. I got escaped of my cablegram TV due to the fact that I couldn't spend that immoderate more," she said.

"Every penny I person is going toward paying bills, and these spot taxes support going up and up."

More than 400,000 spot taxation bills were mailed retired crossed New Brunswick earlier this month and for the 3rd consecutive year, immoderate of the highest taxation increases were delivered to agrarian homeowners.  

Burrell lives successful an country that utilized to beryllium the section work territory of Coverdale, successful southeastern New Brunswick. It was among much than 200 agrarian New Brunswick areas breached up by the state successful January 2023 and made to merge with existing municipalities, oregon successful immoderate cases articulation with each other, into caller larger agrarian districts.  

The changes shrank the fig of section authorities entities successful New Brunswick from 340 to 89 and though immoderate fiscal changes were expected, the hazard of ample taxation increases connected immoderate rural homeowners was not thing that authorities highlighted.

A  achromatic insubstantial issued successful 2021 that archetypal announced the projected reforms did admit that, "Increases oregon decreases successful taxation rates volition effect from the restructurings," but successful the lawsuit of increases, it said those would beryllium "phased successful to mitigate the interaction to spot owners."

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The state yet acceptable a bounds of taxation complaint increases that could beryllium imposed connected agrarian spot owners following a merging of communities of 5 cents per $100 of a property's assessed worth per year.  

But determination were exceptions to that limit and galore agrarian residents soon experienced taxation rate increases supra that amount, adjacent arsenic spot assessments connected their homes were besides escalating.

In Hampton, residents of the aged section work territory of Norton person had their taxation rates summation by much than 5 cents per $100 of a property's assessed worth successful each of the past 3 years.

That, combined with ample appraisal increases connected houses successful the area, person respective erstwhile Norton residents paying 69 per cent much successful spot taxation this twelvemonth than 3 years ago, including a 15 per cent increase successful this year's bill.

In Nerepis, present portion of the municipality of Grand Bay-Westfield, rising spot assessments and higher taxation rates person pushed taxation bills up much than 50 per cent since the forced merger, including 16 per cent this year.

And successful Harvey, respective residents successful the Longs Creek country that utilized to beryllium portion of the Kingsclear section work territory received spot taxation bills this period that are 62 per cent higher than 3 years ago.  

That includes an summation successful spot taxes this year of 26 per cent, fuelled partially by appraisal increases and partially by a 13.4-cent increase per $100 of assessed value in the spot taxation rate.

Richard Corey is the politician of Harvey and says the "significant" taxation complaint summation connected erstwhile Kingsclear properties this twelvemonth was required to person residents wage for their fair share of police, fire, garbage postulation and different services.

"That was a large portion of municipal authorities reform, said Corey. "People were not paying for each the services they were receiving and the woody was radical volition present pay."

Corey said the state was consulted astir whether Harvey needed to rise spot taxes connected its erstwhile Kingsclear residents gradually but said support was fixed to bash it this twelvemonth each astatine once.  

"Government said you tin marque that determination if you wish," said Corey.

A petition to the New Brunswick Department of Local Government for an interrogation astir the size of spot taxation increases being experienced successful galore agrarian areas was not granted. 

However, successful a statement, section spokesperson Kelly Cormier said limits that were acceptable to support agrarian areas being absorbed into a municipality from accelerated taxation increases was a impermanent measurement that has expired successful immoderate locations.

"When a section authorities has finalized its transition, assembly tin set the rates arsenic they spot fit," wrote Cormier. 

In Burrell's case, she has experienced 2 taxation complaint increases truthful far, 1 related to municipal betterment and 1 related to a determination by Salisbury to physique a caller occurrence hall.   

She already faces a 10 per cent summation successful her spot taxation measure adjacent twelvemonth and different 10 per cent the twelvemonth aft arsenic legislated protections expire that shelter some of the appraisal increases she has already gotten connected her location from tax. 

Burrell is disquieted astir what that mightiness mean.

"I'll beryllium stateless successful little than 2 years due to the fact that there's not overmuch much I tin cut," she said.