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School Taxes

About School Tax

The provincial government levies (bills) a tax on property to help pay for provincial spending on public education. The authority for the tax comes under the School Act.

All property owners in the province are required to pay school taxes, unless the property is used for a purpose exempt under the law. School tax is included on the municipal or rural property tax bill and paid to the municipality or through the Surveyor of Taxes. Municipalities are then responsible for remitting the school tax to the provincial government.

Historically, property taxes have funded approximately 33 per cent of public education costs, based on rates set by the provincial government, as follows:

Residential class properties fund about 13 per cent of public education costs. Different rates are set for each school district in the province. For homeowners who meet specific application criteria, a Home Owner Grant reduces part or all of the residential school taxes payable by the homeowner.

The formula for determining the total amount of residential school taxes to be raised in a school district is based equally on the total number of residences in the district and on the total residential assessed value in the district.

School Tax Revenue - Residential 2007

$ Million

Municipal (Net of grants)

497

Rural (Net of grants)

98

Total Revenue from Residential Properties

595

   

Non-residential properties fund about 20 per cent of public education costs. Again, the province sets the school tax rates, which vary by property classification but are uniform province-wide within each non-residential property class.

School Tax Revenue - Non - Residential 2007

$ Million

Municipal

792

Rural

174

Total Revenue from Non-Residential Properties

966

The balance of education costs is funded from other provincial revenue sources.

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