Approximately one million Ontario property taxpayers to receive Property
Assessment Notices this fall

Changes in ownership, value, classification, school support trigger mailing of new Property Assessment Notice

PICKERING, ON, Nov. 3 /CNW/ - Approximately one million property taxpayers will receive Property Assessment Notices this fall, according to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), which began mailing Notices this week.

"Property owners will only receive a Property Assessment Notice this year if the assessment information for their property has changed," said Carl Isenburg, President and Chief Administrative Officer of MPAC.

Between province-wide Assessment Updates, changes to properties continue to take place.  New homes and additions are built, owners renovate, and structures are removed.

Property taxpayers will receive a Notice from MPAC if there has been:

• a change to property ownership, legal description, or school support;
• a change to a property's assessment resulting from a Request for Reconsideration or Assessment Review Board decision;
• a property value increase/decrease reflecting a change to the property, for example, a new structure, addition, or removal of an old structure; or,
• a change in the classification or tax liability of the property.

"We are responsible for and will continue to update the assessment information we have in our database.  If there have been any changes to a property, we produce a new Property Assessment Notice to reflect those changes," Isenburg said.

Property owners who receive a Property Assessment Notice this fall have until March 31, 2011 to ask MPAC to reconsider their assessment. This will be done at no charge.  Details on how to file a Request for Reconsideration have been included with every Notice mailed.

"If property owners have any questions or concerns about their assessment, I encourage them to contact us.  We will help to answer questions and review the information we have on file," said Isenburg.

Property owners can also access detailed assessment information about their own property and comparable properties through AboutMyProperty™ at www.mpac.ca.  Every Notice mailed this fall includes personalized passwords to access AboutMyProperty™.

MPAC (www.mpac.ca) is a not-for-profit corporation funded by all Ontario municipalities.  MPAC is responsible for administering a uniform, province-wide property assessment system based on current values.  It provides a range of services, including the preparation of annual assessment rolls for use by municipalities and the Province of Ontario to calculate property taxes and education taxes.  Municipal enumerations are also conducted by MPAC in order to prepare a Preliminary List of Electors for each municipality and school board during an election year.

The last province-wide Assessment Update of Ontario's more than 4.7 million properties took place in 2008 and was based on the legislated valuation date of January 1, 2008.  The next province-wide Assessment Update will take place in 2012 and will be based on the legislated valuation date of January 1, 2012.

MPAC has 33 local offices located across Ontario.  Its head office is located in Pickering.

For further information:

Michael Jacoby

Municipal Property Assessment Corporation

905 837-4209