Here’s Where Your Tax Dollars Go in Brampton
Published January 22, 2018 at 10:01 pm
It’s no secret that taxes are climbing this year in Brampton, but do you know where your tax dollars go?
It’s no secret that taxes are climbing this year in Brampton, but do you know where your tax dollars go?
On Wednesday, December 6, 2017, Brampton City Council approved a budget that hikes overall property taxes by 2.7 per cent in 2018. The 2.7 per cent hike translates to an annual increase of about $126 for the average residential home, assessed at $471,000 according to the City.
The average residential home will pay $4,857 this year.
So, where do your tax dollars go in Brampton?
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Mostly, your dollars go towards the City of Brampton and the Region of Peel, a fraction goes towards Peel’s school boards, and an even smaller fraction goes towards a dedicated hospital tax levy to support the development of the Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness.
The City of Brampton takes care of things like arts and culture, by-law enforcement, fire services, parks and recreation, public transit, snow removal, and local roads.
The Region of Peel takes care of things like ambulance services, housing services, public health, regional roads, waste collection and recycling, and water treatment and supply.
As for the hospital levy, it’s been on property tax bills since 2013, and this year is expected to be its last.
“While health care funding is a provincial government responsibility, Brampton Council was asked by the William Osler Health System to commit funding to ensure that the development of [the Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness] was given priority by the Province. Recognizing how important this health care centre will be to our community, Council committed $60 million toward the local share of the project’s costs.”
That said, Peel Memorial is set to turn into a full hospital in the coming years, though major details have yet to be revealed.
Overall, your tax dollars support the City, the Region, and its schools.
The recommended operating budget for the City for 2018 is $678 million, up from last year’s approved approximately $631 million by about $47 million.
Here are some of the most interesting investments from this year’s budget:
- Eight new fire trucks over three years
- A full centralized fire campus including a fire station, a safety facility, an emergency operations centre, and a brand new headquarters
- Thirty-one new conventional Brampton Transit buses and 34 new Zum buses over three years
- A total of $150 million towards the Ryerson-Sheridan university that’s taking shape in Brampton, including a joint-use centre with a new library
- Revitalizing recreational facilities in Bramalea
- Increase STEM (engineering and robotics) recreational programming
For more details on Brampton’s budget for 2018, click here.