{"id":26353,"date":"2026-04-30T16:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T16:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/26353\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T16:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T16:14:15","slug":"calgary-spends-33k-to-tell-city-taxpayers-about-a-provincial-tax-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/26353\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary spends $33K to tell city taxpayers about a provincial tax hike"},"content":{"rendered":"

The City of Calgary has launched a $33,000 ad campaign to explain a property tax increase it didn\u2019t impose.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Calgary city councillors heard, in detail, the impact of the most recent Alberta government budget<\/a> \u2013 in particular, the sharp jump in the provincial portion of the property tax bill.<\/p>\n

Mayor Jeromy Farkas has hammered the government on the issue, calling it the single biggest provincial tax increase imposed on the City of Calgary. According to the city, more than 40 per cent of this year\u2019s property tax dollars are headed to the Government of Alberta.<\/p>\n

Farkas had sought out ways to help make it clear on Calgarians\u2019 tax bills that the province was charging more \u2013 substantially more. The mayor has said the province ruled out sending separate bills.<\/p>\n

The City of Calgary has taken extra steps to ensure Calgarians know where their tax dollars are going. Their online property tax calculator<\/a> splits out the portion of city property tax when a property value is entered.<\/p>\n

When a user clicks the link to more information on property tax changes<\/a>, it immediately outlines the breakdown, to the dollar, on a typical single-family home with a median value of $706,000.<\/p>\n

The multi-media information campaign began March 31 and runs through May 22. The ads are very pointed about the amount the province is charging.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 42 per cent of your residential property taxes collected by the City of Calgary goes to the Alberta government,\u201d the radio ad says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, the provincial portion increased 21 per cent for the typical single-family home assessed at $706,000. The city\u2019s portion increased about two per cent. That means over 330 more dollars will go to the province, and 49 to the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

City of Calgary radio advertising message. <\/p>\n

The goal is to educate Calgarians: Mayor Farkas<\/p>\n

The full campaign includes radio, bold signs, YouTube, social media, and digital ads directing people to the Calgary tax calculator.<\/p>\n

The budget for the campaign is $32,849.20, according to the City of Calgary.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimilar to previous years, the purpose of the campaign is to educate Calgarians about where their residential property taxes go, split between The City and Government of Alberta, and the changes to their residential property tax bill,\u201d read a City of Calgary response to questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, the tax split between the Government of Alberta and the City of Calgary has changed. A larger percent of Calgarians\u2019 property taxes are going to the Government of Alberta this year compared to 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayor Farkas told LWC that he felt the ad campaign is money well spent. He said that both Premier Danielle Smith and Finance Minister Nate Horner encouraged Calgary city council members to educate the public and communicate to citizens the tax breakdown between the different orders of government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the best we can do within those legal constraints, and it\u2019s in line with what previously city administration has done. It\u2019s not directed at the political level,\u201d he told LWC.<\/p>\n

Farkas said that it\u2019s about educating Calgarians on where their property tax dollars are going. He said that currently, most people believe that when they open their property tax bill, every single dollar collected goes to the City of Calgary.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact is now nearly 43 cents on the dollar go to the provincial government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, there\u2019s an absolutely urgent need to educate the public about this, so that ultimately the two different orders of government can be held accountable by the citizens of Calgary, but also Albertans more generally.\u201d<\/p>\n

The province says local investments show money spent in Calgary<\/p>\n

Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams said that in 2026, they will collect $976.4 million from Calgary homeowners and $271 million from business owners in the education property tax requisition. Meanwhile, they\u2019ll be providing the two major boards with $2.24 billion in operating cash for 2026\/27, along with 45 school projects that will cost between $2.32 billion and $3.79 billion in capital expense.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalgarians know that the education portion of their property taxes flows directly to classrooms in Calgary and across our province, full stop. That is responsible spending on a priority Albertans have made clear they expect their government to protect,\u201d Williams said in a response to LWC.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand the mayor\u2019s desire to ensure that property taxes are transparent and that Calgarians understand how they are used to improve the services they receive, including the education of their children. Calgarians can draw their own conclusions about how their money is being spent at the municipal level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal agreed that education is at the heart of the information on the website and in the advertising campaign. It\u2019s especially important in his ward, where there\u2019s a higher concentration of newcomers.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften, for them, even the property tax concept is new. So, this kind of education, even others around the city, sometimes they don\u2019t know the province is taking a piece of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dhaliwal isn\u2019t worried about it appearing to be too political.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalgarians can then look at the value for their investment into the city, what return they\u2019re getting, both from us and the province.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liked it? Take a second to support Darren Krause on Patreon!<\/p>\n

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