RMWB freezes municipal tax rates while provincial education levy climbs
FORT MCMURRAY, AB. — Property owners in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo will see a mixed bag on their tax bills this year.
Council has approved the 2025 property tax bylaw with no increase to municipal tax rates for urban residents and a 2.65 per cent decrease for those in rural areas. However, the province is hiking the education portion of the property tax by 21 per cent for residential properties and 15 per cent for non-residential.
That means many homeowners will still see a higher bill overall, even though the local tax rate isn’t going up.
“We’ve kept our municipal rates flat, and even reduced them for rural areas, while continuing to provide a high level of service,” said Coun. Stella Lavallee, who brought forward the successful motion to reduce rural property tax rates. “At the same time, we recognize the province’s role in ensuring schools are properly funded.”
The education tax is set by the Alberta government and collected by municipalities across the province to fund public education. This year, the RMWB will collect roughly $80 million on behalf of the province.
Since 2016, the municipality says it has reduced its reliance on property tax revenue by $261 million. This year’s municipal collection is expected to be just over $505 million.
“Even with the increases to the provincial portion, our overall tax rate remains among the lowest in Alberta,” the municipality noted in a release.
The education levy increase is part of the province’s broader education budget, which includes funding for teachers, classroom support, and new school construction.
Tax notices will be mailed next month, with a payment deadline of June 30. Residents are encouraged to explore payment plans and other supports, including the Tax Instalment Payment Plan and the Rural Small Business Tax Class, through rmwb.ca/taxes.
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