Data compiled by the team at investigation office Several hundred municipalities show that many Quebec towns and villages have no hesitation in imposing tax increases that outpace inflation. The newspaper met with citizens and mayors of these cities who expressed their point of view.
Residents of Saint-François-de-l’Île-d’Orléans will find out how the 12.5% tax increase will affect them over the next few days as their bill ends up in their mailbox.
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The citizens Le Journal contacted had not yet received their tax assessment but knew the upcoming hike is steep. In Saint-François, a village with around 530 inhabitants on the eastern tip of the Île d’Orléans, the rate increases by 12.5%. That’s the biggest increase in the Quebec metropolitan area in 2023, Le Journal, which conducted the review, noted in December.
No big surf yet
Yoland Dion, the town’s former mayor, believes the market is up, but given the declines in recent years, the pill isn’t too hard to swallow.
“It’s not that bad in context,” he says. One trader, who declined to be named publicly, expressed surprise at such an increase. A local resident spoke of “shock” and pointed out that the expenses were not so numerous. But in general, the ascent does not arouse any passions at the moment.
The municipality’s general manager, Marco Langlois, told the Journal in December that the decisions were difficult.
“This is the worst year that could come our way. There are many things that are very difficult to control.”
Photo from the website of the municipality of Saint-François-de-l’Île-d’Orléans
Lina Labbé, Mayoress of Saint-François-de-l’Île-d’Orléans
Nevertheless, he emphasizes “that we have to pay attention to the percentage increases. We were among the lowest.
For Mayor Lina Labbé, citizens have been “very spared in the last ten years” with two tax freezes, two tax cuts and increases according to the consumer price index. On the other hand, the galloping inflation of recent months has caught up with the local government.
“This year we gave a punch, we have no other choice.”
She recalls that the municipality has already allocated surpluses to limit tax increases.
“We can’t eat all of our excess. There were years when we shouldn’t have cut or frozen taxes. But there comes a time when you can’t work miracles.”
– With the collaboration of Jean-Luc Lavallée
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