Council votes to waive penalties for tax arrears in 2022

For this year only, delinquent taxpayers in Clearview will get a break from late charges.

In the wake of push back from some residents who felt that changes to the tax instalment schedule were not properly communicated, Council has voted to waive penalties for tax arrears in 2022, provided the accounts are brought up to date by November 30, 2022.

CAO John Ferguson says staff recommended against mailing separate notices about the change in dates to every taxpayer because of the expense involved, relying instead on people reading the information which accompanied their tax bill.

Up until 2020, the final tax installment for the year was due in November. That has since been changed to September to align with payments the township must make to Simcoe County and the Boards of Education.

Ferguson says the township stands to forgo approximately $380,000 in interest and penalties. Treasurer Kelly McDonald reports there has been significant uptake of the township’s pre-authorized payment plan which spreads the tax bill for the year out over 10 months to make budgeting easier.