Municipal property taxes are based on the Assessed Value of your home as determined by MPAC. The Assessed Value of a property can be found on your Property Assessment Notice, online at AboutMyProperty.ca, or by inspecting the municipality’s assessment roll.
Each year, municipalities set their operating budget every year while keeping in mind how much funding will be needed from property taxes to balance the budget, as required by law. That amount is then distributed across all properties in proportion to their Assessed Value as a share of the municipality’s total assessed property value – adjusted by the property classification’s (eg. residential, commercial, industrial) tax ratio.
Belleville residents can view their property tax account and bills online at my.belleville.ca.
Belleville tax rate billing areas
Your tax rate depends on what tax billing area you live in. Residential rates in urban areas are higher than rural and Belleville urban rates are higher than Cannifton urban rates, while Belleville rural rates are lower than Cannifton rural rates.
Tax rates vary based on your tax billing area (“service area) and area rating:
Area rating
Tax rates vary within the billing areas based on a process called “area rating” which ensures taxpayers pay only for the services they receive.
When Council establishes the annual budget, each area is impacted by the budgets for the services they receive and pays taxes accordingly. Individual areas may be impacted to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the cost of the services, causing tax rate changes to vary by area.
Based on the 2023 tax rates, Cannifton Urban’s property tax rates are 4.59% lower than Belleville Urban, while Belleville Rural (Thurlow) are about 28% lower:
| Tax Rate Area | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Belleville Urban | – | – |
| Cannifton Urban | 4.59% | 4.62% |
| Cannifton Rural | 13.26% | 13.77% |
| Belleville Rural | 28.09% | 28.32% |
The relative rates are the same for all property tax classes (residential, commercial, etc.), but changed slightly year-over-year.
Property tax rebate and credit programs
Applications for the Low Income Senior and Persons with Disabilities tax credits only become available after Council has approved the Annual Budget each year, up to 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 of each year.
Low Income Senior Property Tax Credit
Senior Rebate Application – $900 credit to homeowners who occupy the principal residence who receive Guaranteed Income Supplement under the Old Age Security Act (Canada) who are 65 years of age or older by Dec 31st of the current year. Eligibility requirements may apply. Applications must be made every year and the deadline is Aug. 31st.
Persons with Disabilities Property Tax Credit
ODSP Rebate Application – $900 credit to homeowners who occupy the principal residence who receive Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) Benefits. Eligibility requirements may apply. Applications must be made every year and the application deadline is Aug. 31, 2023.
Property Tax Rebates for Eligible Charities
Charity Rebate Application – This program provides a 40% property tax rebate to registered charities that are tenants in Commercial or Industrial class properties. The landlord may be contacted by the charity to provide relevant information required for the City of Belleville application. The deadline for 2022 applications was 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2023. Applications must be made every year.
Please Note: Charity applications are only available between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28 of each year.
Where are my property taxes spent?
Council has direct control of 60% of the annual municipal budget.
To find out how much of your property tax bill goes to these services, use the tax calculator. For a property valued at $250,000 in 2023, the breakdown is as follows:
| Tax Rate | 2022 | Percentage | 2023 | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | ||||
| Core | $2,370.37 | 55.83% | $2,456.21 | 56.09% |
| Police – Urban | $782.10 | 18.42% | $828.84 | 18.93% |
| Police – Rural | $0.00 | 0.00% | $0.00 | 0.00% |
| Fire – Full Time | $506.41 | 11.93% | $502.80 | 11.48% |
| Fire – Volunteer | $0.00 | 0.00% | $0.00 | 0.00% |
| Transit | $178.58 | 4.21% | $183.65 | 4.19% |
| Street Lighting | $25.57 | 0.60% | $25.36 | 0.58% |
| Debt – Fire Rural | $0.00 | 0.00% | $0.00 | 0.00% |
| Debt – Fire Urban | $0.00 | 0.00% | $0.00 | 0.00% |
| Area Rated Total | $1,492.66 | 35.16% | $1,540.65 | 35.18% |
| Municipal Taxes | $3,863.03 | 90.99% | $3,996.86 | 91.27% |
| Education | $382.50 | 9.01% | $382.50 | 8.73% |
| Total | $4,245.53 | 100.00% | $4,379.36 | 100.00% |
| Core Breakdown | ||||
| Tax Rate – General Government | ||||
| Council | $18.22 | 0.43% | $20.46 | 0.47% |
| Administration | $87.09 | 2.05% | $90.80 | 2.07% |
| Finance & Taxation | $201.78 | 4.75% | $86.64 | 1.98% |
| Corporate Services | $70.28 | 1.66% | $94.89 | 2.17% |
| Facility Management | $11.43 | 0.27% | $7.61 | 0.17% |
| Human Resources | $33.11 | 0.78% | $34.30 | 0.78% |
| Total General Government | $421.91 | 9.94% | $334.70 | 7.64% |
| Tax Rate – Capital Financing | ||||
| Debt – Core | $0.00 | 0.00% | $0.00 | 0.00% |
| Capital Projects Financing | $262.83 | 6.19% | $305.36 | 6.97% |
| Total Capital Financing | $262.83 | 6.19% | $305.36 | 6.97% |
| Tax Rate – Planning & Development | ||||
| Planning & Approvals | $43.33 | 1.02% | $25.47 | 0.58% |
| Building Services | $16.48 | 0.39% | $17.52 | 0.40% |
| Economic Development | $71.74 | 1.69% | $77.60 | 1.77% |
| Total Planning & Development | $131.55 | 3.10% | $120.59 | 2.75% |
| Tax Rate – Engineering | ||||
| Engineering | $19.01 | 0.45% | $17.84 | 0.41% |
| Total Engineering | $19.01 | 0.45% | $17.84 | 0.41% |
| Tax Rate – Environmental Services | ||||
| Stormwater Management | $6.46 | 0.15% | $9.38 | 0.21% |
| Waste Management | $70.14 | 1.65% | $71.87 | 1.64% |
| Pollution Control | $13.06 | 0.31% | $14.56 | 0.33% |
| Total Environmental Services | $89.66 | 2.11% | $95.81 | 2.19% |
| Tax Rate – Transportation Services | ||||
| Roads | $41.06 | 0.97% | $47.79 | 1.09% |
| Roadside | $58.52 | 1.38% | $66.21 | 1.51% |
| Structures | $1.60 | 0.04% | $1.54 | 0.04% |
| Traffic Operations | $33.24 | 0.78% | $35.98 | 0.82% |
| Winter Control | $72.42 | 1.71% | $84.69 | 1.93% |
| Transportation Administration | $175.83 | 4.14% | $186.47 | 4.26% |
| Total Transportation Services | $382.67 | 9.01% | $422.68 | 9.65% |
| Tax Rate – Protective Services | ||||
| Emergency Measures | $2.73 | 0.06% | $4.35 | 0.10% |
| 911 Program | $2.40 | 0.06% | $2.54 | 0.06% |
| Quinte Conservation | $29.11 | 0.69% | $33.50 | 0.76% |
| Total Protective Services | $34.24 | 0.81% | $40.39 | 0.92% |
| Tax Rate – Recreation | ||||
| Administration | $55.64 | 1.31% | $65.95 | 1.51% |
| Programs | $53.66 | 1.26% | $58.83 | 1.34% |
| Major Facilities | $175.00 | 4.12% | $187.93 | 4.29% |
| Community Centres | $11.74 | 0.28% | $11.68 | 0.27% |
| Parks, Sports Fields & Harbour | $129.08 | 3.04% | $127.32 | 2.91% |
| Total Recreation | $425.12 | 10.01% | $451.71 | 10.31% |
| Tax Rate – Cultural | ||||
| Glanmore | $14.70 | 0.35% | $17.99 | 0.41% |
| Heritage Belleville | $0.20 | 0.00% | $0.21 | 0.00% |
| Archives | $2.69 | 0.06% | $3.11 | 0.07% |
| Belleville Library | $75.06 | 1.77% | $81.30 | 1.86% |
| Total Cultural | $92.65 | 2.18% | $102.61 | 2.34% |
| Tax Rate – Health Services | ||||
| Health Unit | $34.18 | 0.81% | $37.66 | 0.86% |
| Emergency Medical Services | $126.69 | 2.98% | $143.78 | 3.28% |
| Doctor Recruitment | $0.00 | 0.00% | $3.74 | 0.09% |
| University Hospital Kingston (New) | $0.00 | 0.00% | $1.59 | 0.04% |
| BGH Foundation | $0.00 | 0.00% | $0.00 | 0.00% |
| Total Health Services | $160.87 | 3.79% | $186.77 | 4.26% |
| Tax Rate – Social & Family Services | ||||
| General Assistance | $70.54 | 1.66% | $67.41 | 1.54% |
| Social Housing | $171.83 | 4.05% | $196.10 | 4.48% |
| Long Term Care – Hastings Manor | $84.84 | 2.00% | $96.29 | 2.20% |
| Long Term Care – Centennial Manor | $15.25 | 0.36% | $18.00 | 0.41% |
| Total Social & Family Services | $342.46 | 8.07% | $377.80 | 8.63% |
External Agencies
External costs account for 40% of the annual municipal budget. These costs include:
- Police and other emergency services
- Provincially mandated programs and other boards and commissions.
- Services funded by user fees including water, wastewater and parking
Belleville has 21,329 taxable properties with total assessed value of $6.7 billion
Based on the 2024 returned assessment, the City of Belleville has 21,329 taxable properties with a total value for property taxation purposes of $6.7 billion. Included in this total is $446.4 million in “exempt” assessment which represents 6.64% of total assessment for the City.
Tax ratios making commercial and industrial classes pay highest share possible
Belleville is currently applying as much of the tax burden to the commercial and industrial classes as is allowed by Allowable Ranges for Tax Ratios (O. Reg. 386/98). They could shift the tax burden onto residential taxpayers, but cannot shift further tax burden onto the commercial and industrial classes.
How do I request property tax relief?
A municipality may cancel, reduce or refund all or part of an applicant’s property taxes if the applicant is unable to pay taxes because of sickness or extreme poverty according to Section 357 (1) (d.1) of the Municipal Act.
Belleville has delegated its decisions to the Assessment Review Board (ARB), so file an application there if you fit into the description above. The ARB is an independent adjudicative tribunal that hears appeals from property owners who believe that their properties are incorrectly assessed or classified.
Property owners in Ontario may request a reassessment of their property’s value by filing a Request for Reconsideration (RFR) with the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC).
Before 2019
A couple large high rises were successfully converted to condos and when that happens they leave the multi-residential property classification and go to residential, which is lower than the multi-res.
- 2006 – Property tax credit system for low income seniors and those with disabilities established.
