Some West Island cities extend tax bill deadline
Several West Island municipalities are pushing back deadlines for tax bill payments.
Beaconsfield taxpayers will be getting an extension to pay their municipal tax bill this year. The city announced it is postponing its deadlines for the payment of municipal taxes in 2021 to “help its citizens face the economic challenges linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
It means the first payment will be due May 26, and the second instalment on Aug. 25. Usually, the two payments are due in February and May, respectively.
Beaconsfield Mayor Georges Bourelle said city council made the decision to postpone tax payments to cut some slack to taxpayers.
“It's providing a break to people because of the pandemic,” he said. “A lot of people have lost revenues. Some people have lost their jobs temporarily. We all know how the situation has caused economic suffering for many people because of the pandemic. It's recognition of that situation and we're trying to give residents a bit of a break.”
The other reason for the tax payment extension is that it aligns with the city of Montreal, which recently announced it plans to defer the deadline for paying property taxes by three months.
Montreal homeowners and businesses now have until June 1 to make the payment, instead of March 1. A second payment will be due Sept. 1 for Montreal taxpayers, which includes the boroughs of Roxboro-pierrefonds, Lachine and Île-bizard—ste-geneviève.
“In essence, we're aligning ourselves with Montreal because Montreal has also made the decision to postpone their first payment until June 1, then the second payment on Sept. 1,” Bourelle said. “Were also aligning ourselves with Montreal because Montreal agreed to defer our agglomeration quotes-parts payments, accordingly.
“That was very important to us,” Bourelle noted. “We didn't want to pay the agglo payment and not have any revenues coming in.”
The city of Dorval is also cutting taxpayers some slack during the pandemic. The city is allowing residential taxpayers and businesses to pay tax bills over $300 in three equal instalments instead of two this year.
In Kirkland, the first tax bill instalment is now due May 1 and the second instalment on Sept. 1, noted Mayor Michel Gibson. The original dates were March 1 and June 1.
In Ste-anne-de-bellevue, tax bill instalments will now be due May 18 and Aug. 20, instead of Feb. 18 and May 20, confirmed Mayor Paola Hawa.
Pointe-claire has extended its due date for the first payment of the municipal taxes, scheduled for Feb. 8, to May 26. The due date for the second payment, scheduled for June 7, has been extended to Aug. 26. This measure is intended to give residential, commercial and industrial property owners a break under the circumstances of the pandemic, city officials noted.