Property Taxes Overview

• How are taxes allocated?
• How are taxes calculated?
• How to read your tax bill
• Methods of paying taxes in Oshawa
• Name or Address Changes
• Tax Certificates
• Tax Rates
• Tax Installments
• Current list of properties eligible for Tax Sale
• Application forms for Municipal Tax Reductions, Rebates & Refunds
• Change of School Board Support

Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the pdf documents on this page.

The City of Oshawa collects taxes on behalf of the Region of Durham, the School Boards, and the City. The only portion controlled by the City are the City's taxes as stated on your tax bill. Regional taxes are collected to provide Regional services such as policing and social services, school taxes are collected to provide for schools operating within the City, and City taxes are collected to provide local services such as garbage collection, snow clearing and local road repairs. Municipal taxes in the Province of Ontario are restricted to Residential and Commercial/Industrial realty taxes.

Realty taxes are based on an assessment value determined by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) which is multiplied by a Tax Rate. MPAC is responsible for determining and defending the assessment values as established by them. Their duties are legislated under the Assessment Act; please contact them if you wish to dispute your assessment value by calling 1-866-296-6722.

If your property is in one of the capped property tax classes the realty taxes may be affected by the 2009 clawback percentages as well as the levy change percentages which are listed in the table below. The resulting additional capped taxes, if any, show as the 2009 Tax Cap Adjustment on your tax bill. You should also note that there is no change in the cap limit of 10% from 2008 to 2009. Threshold limits have also been opted for and selected for 2009 limiting the application of capping to decreasing amounts and similarly to increasing amounts greater than $250. This means that if your property taxes are within $250 of actual Current Value Assessment (CVA) taxes, they will be adjusted to the CVA taxes.

Vacancy Factors (%)

Minimum Tax Level

Historic Capping Information

A property that is located in the City of Oshawa would currently have an assessed value based on an estimate of market value taken as of January 1, 2008. This reassessment means that the Current Value Assessment (CVA) of a property in Oshawa is similar to the real estate value of that property as of January 1, 2008. This criteria applies to all real property including Residential, Commercial and Industrial properties. Despite the fluctuations in market values due to economic conditions the assessed values remain the same until the next reassessment of assessed values.

Some properties may have additional charges on their tax bills due to Local Improvement Charges or Special Area Rates. Currently, the City only has one Special Area Rate and that is for commercial properties that are located within the downtown core. This Business Improvement Area has a charge for the downtown beautification and improvement program referred to as the Central Business District Improvement Area (CBDIA).

The Local Improvement Charges are added to property tax accounts that have specific work done that will directly impact their properties. These charges are added after the work has been completed and the pre-payment options have not been exercised. The improvements billed in this manner are usually local roads, water and sewer, tile drainage projects and other capital projects of a local nature.

Starting in 1998, traditional business taxes which were levied in prior years were discontinued. Instead, the Commercial and Industrial Realty Taxes were based on the full occupied value of the property if it has a building. If a vacant unit exists in a commercial or industrial property for a period greater than 90 consecutive days for the given tax year, the owner may qualifiy for a rebate under Section 364 of the Municipal Act. A rebate application must be filed and received by the City before the end February in the year following the tax year. Please see Applications Forms for Municipal Tax Reductions, Rebates & Refunds.

Tax Ratios

Pursuant to section 308(5) of the Municipal Act, Upper Tiered Municipalities must pass a bylaw establishing the percentages by which tax rates are to be calculated for all of the prescribed property subclasses within the Region. Tax ratios express the relationship between the tax rates of property classes to the residential property class.  In other words, they indicate the tax burden borne by a particular tax class in the Muncipality. The residential tax ratio is always 1.0000 and acts as the benchmark for all other property classes.

The Region of Durham has enacted Bylaw # 12-2010  allowing for the usage of the following Tax Ratios:

Property Classes as prescribed under Section 7 of the Assessment Act R.S.O. 1990 c.A.31 as amended. 

Contact: