For decades in Toronto, property taxes barely went up. Under every previous mayor in post-amalgamation history, taxes were either frozen or increases were aimed “at or below the rate of inflation” or “in line with inflation.”
The result was decades of experts talking about how we had shockingly low property taxes by the standards of our region and the standards of other big cities. As a further result, we heard decades of city managers tell us how that was starving services and maintenance.
At a certain point, people really started to notice things falling apart.
But with this year’s budget, we’re looking at a third successive year of larger than usual tax increases. In his final year in office, Mayor John Tory’s budget increased property taxes seven per cent, mostly due to high inflation. In her first budget, Olivia Chow increased property taxes 9.5 per cent, a record high. And this year, with inflation back down, taxes will still be up, by a proposed 6.9 per cent.
Read more: Are Toronto property taxes really ‘absolutely out of control’? Here’s how they stack up against other cities – Toronto Star, January 17, 2025
