Discussions

I would like to see if anyone out there thinks this is a good idea. Years ago in Calgary you saw seniors having to give up their homes because the increase in taxes grew far beyond their fixed incomes. Housing prices soared but pensions did not and the amount of taxes due were a crushing blow to seniors faced with two choices...Stay in your home and suffer financially or sell your home but where then do you go.  
I think that this was easily avoidable. Freeze housing taxes at the age of 65 for those who stay in their home. When they move out or it is passed down, increase them to the current market value for the new owner.  
I am not a senior but I am beginning to plan my exit strategy down the road and when I look at the costs I believe I will not be able to have any standard of living without making the same choice those elders in Calgary faced.  
 
Your thoughts....

How far does it go, however? Everything is increasing - taxes, heating fuel, electricity, water... they all impact the ability for someone on a fixed income to remain in their home. Taxes are actually only a small part of it.  
 
I would be curious to know if any of those seniors were also still paying mortgages. It's becoming more and more common for someone wanting to retire to face having a mortgage.

Unlike in previous decades, seniors currently have more wealth than any younger generation. Why should struggling young people subsidize the rich?  
 
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/seniors-discounts-should-be-scrapped-study-suggests-1.2978843  
 
I'm fully in favour of helping poor seniors, but the majority aren't poor and don't need my help - not by a long shot.

I agree with many of the points made, the are made on the assumption that all seniors have wealth. Some seniors are not in that place and I think that perhaps taxes for seniors could be income based such as many of the homes that they face living in once they are unable to care for themselves. I am not a bleeding heart and do not think that all seniors can be lumped into one category just as many young people cannot be. Some young people have a much better start in life than others but I do think that there should be resources available for those who have worked their whole lives to have more assistance in their golden years when it come to taxation on their home.

I agree that not all seniors are rolling in wealth, and it's unfair to lump them all in together. But I'm also thinking long-term sustainability as Boomers age, and the majority choosing to stay in their homes instead of selling. http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canadian-boomers-want-to-stay-in-their-homes-as-they-age-1.2224171  
 
I'm genuinely curious why some seniors suddenly can't afford to live in the house they've lived in for decades. I look at what my expenses are with a house full of kids vs. what it would be if my house was paid and there was only 1 or 2 of us, and my property taxes would be the only thing that would remain high/unaffected (and possibly my heating bill).  
 
I get that some expenses increase as you age - pharma costs, for example, but there's other programs to help mitigate those costs already. But property taxes are tied to property values, and there's a lot of equity tied into property value. On some level, it makes sense to tax that equity via property taxes. Why should they be exempt if a solution is to dispose of the property, where you can reap the gain tax-free?  
 
I guess the question I'm asking is why would seniors be exempt from living within their means? If I were older and wanted to stay in my home, I admit I would be upset if I were forced to leave for financial reasons. But remaining solvent is also critical, and I can see us downsizing to a smaller home once all our kids except our disabled daughter have left, and then we can get away with a smaller 2 bedroom.

The issue is that your taxes go up because the value of your did as well. If we simply freeze the tax rate then sitting in their house while it increases in value is a no brainer for people. And without a doubt you would see non-seniors or corporations getting seniors to buy property in their name to avoid taxes while accruing value. The potential for abuse is immense.  
 
I would be ok with freezing the tax rate if the difference was paid once the property is sold; essentially deferring payment until the asset is turned into liquid capital. Perhaps with a modest interest rate applied so that it isn't an easy decision. This would dramatically reduce potential for abuse as well.

So we freeze property tax for seniors, on top of the up to $4000 rebate they already receive for their property tax. They continue to live in their homes as the value increases. When they get to the point that they can't live in their house and they move into a care home, they sell their house, and now have $200k -500K. Depending on how long they hold out, they may not be able to leave that care home. So what are they going to spend that money on. That "income" from the sale of the house will partially determine how much they pay for "rent" at the home. SO, a for profit company is going to get all that tax money they saved, and the tax payers are going to be out.  
 
Make the seniors pay their taxes like everybody else. It might actually help them in an odd way. If the income they have is no longer sufficient to continue to pay for the property tax on the house, then it may "force" them to sell earlier, and move into an apartment, which will likely be smaller and therefore need less work cleaning etc. If they set aside the sale money, the interest alone (provided it was paid off) and what they are saving in property tax will cover the rent, or pretty close.  
 
Think long game not short.

We should not freeze seniors taxes. They should pay like everybody else. Having said that though, I've got much more to add.  
School boards and city hall must be responsible in how monies are spent. However, the way it works now is that house assessments go up annually and both the board and city adjust the mil rate to work within their budgets. That's irresponsible!  
 
My suggestion to keep the board and city accountable is to hold their budget increases to the past years rate of inflation. I know there are always surprises, but that's when they go knocking on the provincial government's door.  
 
IMO, I would like to see all owners, not just seniors seetheir taxes increase at the rate of inflation (CPI), regardless of the assessed value. Only when a house/business changes hands does the assessed value reset the taxes on that property. In a growing/expanding city there are always new construction that adds to the financial coffers.  
 
In this scenario, seniors would not lose their houses due to balloning market values. A system like this would be fair to all and would keep both parties of our property tax bill accountable to their municipal residents.

who will pay if everybody think they deserve to be in a special clause not to pay or pay less than others for their whatever situation (health, daycare, senior, family, proverty) .  
People should learn to manage your money, you should be responsible what you have and what you will have left in your future

70`s guy said "We should not freeze seniors taxes. They should pay like everybody else. Having said that though, I've got much more to add.   School boards and city hall must be responsible in how monies are spent. However, the way it works now is that house assessments go up annually and both the board and city adjust the mil rate to work within their budgets. That's irresponsible!     My suggestion to keep the board and city accountable is to hold their budget increases to the past years rate of inflation. I know there are always surprises, but that's when they go knocking on the provincial government's door.     IMO, I would like to see all owners, not just seniors seetheir taxes increase at the rate of inflation (CPI), regardless of the assessed value. Only when a house/business changes hands does the assessed value reset the taxes on that property. In a growing/expanding city there are always new construction that adds to the financial coffers.     In this scenario, seniors would not lose their houses due to balloning market values. A system like this would be fair to all and would keep both parties of our property tax bill accountable to their municipal residents. "

Best post so far in my opinion & of course, since it's logical & fair - it'll never fly.  
As a senior, coupled with taxes, the thing that has impacted me/us is the cost of hydro. Our home is all electric so dreading heating it through this winter.

school tax should not be on homes it should be on my income if I make 100,000 tax me, and retire and make 50,000 per year tax me. Apply tax rate to everyone,not just people that own property, no rebates no filing or administration costs. just a fed. prov. tax off every working person.