Taxes and Tax Information

Tax Statement Information

The property tax statements for 2024 will be mailed out this summer. If you do not receive one, you are responsible to call 204-388-4600 or email taxes@whereyoubelong.ca to get a copy. Please note that it takes up to 3 months for the Town to receive information on title changes from the Land Titles office. Failure to receive a bill does not excuse an owner from payment of the account.

The amount of taxes indicated on the statement represents the amount due for the entire calendar year (January 1 to December 31, 2024). Payment must be received in the Town office on or before September 27, 2024 by 5:00 p.m. All taxes remaining subsequently unpaid are subject by law to a penalty of 1.25% per month (compounded annually).

2024 Taxes: The funds required to cover the cost of operating the Town will be identified in the annual financial plan (budget), generally set in March or April of the tax year.

2024 Mill Rates:
General at large: 13.659 Mills
Special Services: 3.348 Mills
Hanover School Division: 12.740 Mills
Education Support Levy (Business): 8.128 Mills
Local Improvement Levies: Check your tax statement, call the Town office, or email taxes@whereyoubelong.ca to determine if your property is subject to an LID Levy.
Waste Collection: $140.00

Education Property Tax Credit

The Education Property Tax Credit Advance (EPTCA) is a credit provided by the Province of Manitoba, not the Town of Niverville. Beginning in 2021, the Province of Manitoba will be making changes to the EPTCA. More information on this can be found on the Province of Manitoba website:

https://www.manitoba.ca/edupropertytax/

For New Homeowners, your new home may not have the Education Property Tax Credit Advance (EPTCA) on your bill. Newly built homes and homes that were previously used as rental properties will not have the EPTCA automatically deducted from the bill. Check your bill to ensure that you are receiving the credit.

If you are not already receiving the credit you will need to contact the Town Office for an application form to apply. Applications are accepted for the current year only up until the tax bills are printed (approx. May 1), after which your application will be for the following year. If you have missed the application deadline for the current year, you may apply for the credit on your personal income tax (Manitoba Tax Credits form) at the end of the year.

The Tax Statement

Personal Information: The name and address that appears on the tax statement is the latest information available at the time of printing. Tax bills for properties that have been sold/purchased after March 31 of the year may not be printed in the name of the new owner. Previous owners are asked to return the bill to the Town Office to be re-directed.  Changing phone numbers, mailing address or email address? Please call the Town Office to update your file (204-388-4600).

 Assessments: The Province of Manitoba manages the department that maintains and/or establishes property values.  If you have any questions regarding the assessed value of your property (as indicated on your tax statement) please call Municipal Relations – Assessment Services at 204-326-9896.  In all cases, when making inquiries regarding your property, please refer to the roll number noted on the top right-hand corner of your property tax statement. Also, see Assessment FAQ for more information on assessments.  Assessments for the year are closed by September 30 of the preceding year.

Added Assessments: if you make improvements to your property, such as new house, deck, garage, shed, finish basement, added basement bathroom, etc. these assessments will not be included in the regular bills issued in July.  Municipal Relations – Assessment Services assesses these changes through the spring and summer and Added Tax bills are then issued in the fall.

Municipal Taxes: 

Like all municipalities, the main source of funding for operations is derived from property taxes. The funds required to cover the cost of operating the Town are identified in the annual financial plan(budget). Copies of the financial plan (budget) are available at the Town office and on the Town website at whereyoubelong.ca. Taxes are levied based on an apportioned assessment, or a portion of the market value of the property as of a set point in the past. The portioned assessed value of a property divided by 1,000 multiplied by the mill rate determines the amount of taxes payable on each property. Tax bills are issued in July of each year for January to December of that year and are due on the last business day of September.

General Municipal at Large: All properties, other than exempt properties, pay the General Municipal at large taxes.

By-Laws: 

Local Improvement District Levy (LID): In some areas, utility and street construction debt repayment levies may also have an impact on your municipal taxes. These levies will continue to be charged against the property during the terms indicated on the tax statement.

Waste Collection: Most residential properties pay an annual fee for curbside waste removal. For more information on waste collection specifications, from the Main Web page go to: Residents -> Town Services -> Garbage & Recycling.

Special Services: All properties, including exempt properties, pay the special levy. The special levy provides for fire and EMR (emergency medical response) services, policing, and street Lighting.

Education Taxes: The Town of Niverville does not set education tax rates but is required under provincial legislation to raise and collect both provincial and local education taxes. The Hanover School Division is the local education authority for the Town of Niverville. For clarification on education taxes please contact either your school board trustee or the Hanover School Division at 204-326-6471.

Education Property Tax Credit Advance (EPTCA): The Province of Manitoba administers a “school tax” rebate program. Manitoba residents may be entitled to a credit up to $350.00 on property taxes. The credit is based on the school tax portion of the property tax statement.

To qualify for the credit to be applied directly to the tax bill, the property must be a single dwelling unit (DU), you must be the resident and owner of the property for which you are applying AND have been levied full taxes (land and building) as of January 1 of the tax year. Application forms are available at the Town office. To apply please contact taxes@whereyoubelong.ca for an application form or find the form on the Town Website under the Resources section, Education Property Tax Credit. The deadline to apply for the credit is May 1 of each year.

Property owners missing the deadline or otherwise not qualified to receive the credit directly off the tax bill can still receive the credit by applying on their annual personal income tax return, Manitoba Tax Credits Form.

For more information on the EPTCA visit:  https://www.gov.mb.ca/finance/tao/eptc.html

Seniors’ School Tax Rebate

 The Seniors’ School Tax Rebate may be claimed when you file your personal income tax in the spring.

To be eligible for the Seniors’ School Tax Rebate, you or your spouse/common-law partner must:

• be 65 years of age or older by the end of the year (December 31);
• own your home or be liable for paying the school taxes on your principal residence;
• live in your home; and
• be residents of Manitoba.

For more information, please contact the Manitoba Tax Assistance Office at 204-948-2115 (Toll-free 1-800-782-0771)

https://www.gov.mb.ca/finance/tao/sstrebate.html

Added Tax or Supplementary Tax Bills

Added or Supplementary Taxes are taxes that have been levied for changes to the assessment/tax rolls after those rolls are completed for the year.

These bills are to reflect new subdivisions or increase the assessed value because of new construction, additions, or other changes (such as deck added or basement finish, etc.).

Added/Supplementary bills can be a credit if the change to your property assessment results in a decrease in value. Example of events that would decrease an assessment would be flood damage, fire, demolition, house moved off property. Please contact the Assessment Branch to report any event that would decrease your assessment. The Assessment Branch can be reached at 204-326-9896. (demolitions or house moves require a permit from the Town, please contact the Office for more information).

As per Sec. 326(1) of the Municipal Act, supplementary taxes may be imposed only for the current year, and if the value had been changed the previous year. These bills are issued in the fall and due 90 days after the issue date.

Appeals to the supplementary assessments can be made to the Board of Revision. More information on the appeal process can be found on the Added Tax information sheet.

Payment FAQ

Does the Town of Niverville have a TIPPS Program? No. If you wish to make monthly payments you may provide a series of post-dated cheques for the Town to process on dates you provide, set up a recurring monthly payment with your online banking account or visit the Town office monthly and make a payment on your account. Note: The balance of your tax bill must be paid by the due date, September 27^th, 2024 at 5pm to avoid late penalties.

What are my payment options? 

Mail: Please mail your cheque or money order payable to: Town of Niverville together with the bottom portion of your tax statement(s) to: Town of Niverville, Box 267, Niverville, Manitoba, R0A 1E0. Payments must be received by 5pm on due date. Your cheque may be post-dated to the due date (Sept. 27th, 2024) but must be received by the Town Office on or before September 27th, 2024 by 5pm. Receipts may be emailed or mailed to the property owner.

Drop Box: You may choose to use the drop box located in front of the building at 329 Bronstone Drive. Please do not put cash in the drop box – all payments are left at the owner’s risk. NOTE: Payments must be in the drop box by 5 p.m. on September 27^th, 2024 or they will be considered late and will be subject to a penalty.

Internet banking: You may pay your taxes electronically through your financial institution. Please confirm with your financial institution whether they are set up for on-line bill payments to the Town. When you set up your online banking bill payees you will need the one for property taxes, which is your roll number, (also called location number on reminder notices), and one for utilities-please use all the digits in your utility account number. When making an electronic payment for the first time it is recommended that payment be submitted 7 days prior to the due date to allow time to correct any submission errors.

To ensure electronic payments will not be subject to late penalty, please allow at least 3 business days for processing. Check with your financial institution regarding the actual transfer date of your payment. 

Customer Portal: The portal allows you to view your account(s), view and print receipts, and make payments by debit or credit card (fees apply). Look for your registration key for the portal on the back of your utility bill or contact the Town Office to get your sign-up key. Note: if you recently purchased your home, any tax balance may not show on eServices. Please contact the Town Office for current balances on your accounts.

In Person: at 329 Bronstone Drive to pay your taxes during our regular hours of operation. Please remember to bring your tax bill. You may pay your taxes by cheque, cash, Interac, or credit card. Please note that convenience fees apply with payments by credit card.

Does the Town accept e-transfers? No. The acceptance of e-transfers requires receipting clerks to have access to the Town’s bank account.

Tax Account FAQ

Is the amount showing on this bill my current account balance? Only if your account is not in arrears and you have not made any payments since the printing date of the bills. The arrears balance shown on the statement is as at May 8th, 2024, the balance available when the bills were sent to the Province for printing. Please call 204-388-4600 or email taxes@whereyoubelong.ca  to get a current balance.

How much is the penalty and when is it applied? The penalty is 1.25% per month (compounded annually) and is applied the day after the due date and on the first day of each month thereafter. (EFFECTIVE ANNUAL RATE = 15%)

If I pay my bill 1 day late does the penalty get pro-rated to 1/30^th of the penalty? No, the full penalty applies. Penalties are applied on the first day of each month.

I paid my tax bill in full, why does my account show a balance owing? Your payment may have been late leaving a penalty on the account or if you have an unpaid utility bill or fine that may have been transferred to the tax account.

Will you let me know if I have a balance owing? Reminder notices are mailed out twice per year; they are mailed during the first week of October and again in the first week of January. You are welcome to call or email the Town office any time for an updated balance. You can also view your account balance on the Customer Portal. Please refer to the back of your utility bill for your registration key for the portal.

If I miss paying my taxes, how long before my property goes to Tax Sale? Land in arrears for more than one year may be sold for taxes.  Council decides early in the year which years’ arrears will go to tax sale. Council generally designates year 3 arrears for tax sale.

I just bought my property and this tax bill is for the whole year. Can I get the bill split and pay only for the portion of the year that I owned the property? No. The current titleholder is responsible for the full bill. Property tax (and utility) accounts follow the property not the owner. The split is calculated and processed through purchase/sale documents with the lawyers at the time of the sale transaction.

What if I didn’t get a tax bill? It should be noted that failure to receive a tax statement in your name does not excuse an owner from the responsibility for the payment of taxes, nor relieve the owner of liability of any late payment penalty. There are a variety reasons for mail not being received. Property owners are responsible to call the Town Office to request a copy of a missing bill.

Can I apply to have penalties waived due to extenuating circumstances? No. For the purpose of fairness, ensuring that all taxpayers receive the same benefits, the Municipal Act does not provide council or staff the authority to cancel penalties. Penalties may only be canceled if applied in error by the Town Office.

Assessment FAQ

Property assessment values are determined by the Province of Manitoba, Assessment Branch. While the Town is not involved in this process, the Town uses the assessment value to calculate property taxes.

Why does my bill show only Land taxes, the assessor has been here to assess the new house?

The assessment roll is closed or locked-in, by the fall of the preceding year. New building, or other changes, assessments will be billed by an “Added Tax” bill when the information is forwarded to the Town by the Provincial Assessment Branch. The due date for the “Added Tax” bill will be 90 days from the date of issue.

What if there has been a change in the value of my property (such as significant damage or an addition)?

Property owners experiencing a significant loss of value are advised to talk to an assessor. Please call the Assessment Branch at 204-326-9896. Increases in value are generally assessed through the building permit process or as observed by the assessor while in the area.

How can I find details regarding my assessment?

Using your address, roll number, certificate of title number or other such information, you can access the Property Assessment database at the Province of Manitoba website. Click Here to access the database. To see the sales history of properties, Click Here.

What if I disagree with my assessment?

Assessment can be appealed, taxes cannot be appealed. If you feel your assessment is unfair, please discuss it with the Provincial Assessment Branch located at 240 – 323 Main Street, Steinbach, Manitoba or phone 204-326-9896. The taxes must still be paid on or before the due date to avoid penalties. If your assessment is reduced as a result of an appeal, any over payment of taxes will be refunded.

For persons wishing to appeal their 2024 property assessment, the opportunity to appeal the 2024 assessment is closed.

For persons wishing to appeal their 2025 property assessment the first step would be to talk to an assessor. Please call 204-326-9896. If you still wish to file an appeal, the Board of Revision date will be October 15, 2024.

Property Reassessment 2025 Manitoba Government Brochure

Appeal applications must be in writing; include the roll number, legal description and assessed value of the property; the grounds for appeal must be clearly identified; and must be received at the Town office by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1st, 2024. An assessment may be appealed based on the following reasons:

• The amount of assessed value;
• Whether the property has been put in the correct property class;
• Whether the property should be exempt from both municipal and school taxes; or
• Refusal by an assessor to amend the assessment roll based on a written application.

What if I have other questions about my assessment?

For more information about assessments see www.gov.mb.ca/assessment or call the Assessment Branch at 204-326-9896

Assessments can be appealed; taxes cannot be appealed. If you feel your assessment is unfair, please discuss it with the Provincial Assessment Branch by calling them at 204-326-9896.