Am remarcat ca acest subiect a fost dezbatut in Romania. Taxele de proprietate sunt mult mai mari ca procent de PIB (ca sa nu mai vorbim de modul absolut) decat la noi si m-am gandit ca experienta mea personala ar putea fi interesanta in discutie. Desigur, eu vorbesc despre Toronto.

Imi amintesc ca unul dintre primele articole de pe blogul lui khris se referea la cat de atractiv este sa inchiriezi fata de a detine o locuinta. Tot de la el iau graficul alaturat, care demonstreaza ca daca in Romania taxele de proprietate sunt numai de 0.7% din PIB, in Canada ele reprezinta 3.4%. Banii din taxele de proprietate merg la guvernul municipal, care-i cheltuie astfel (cp-24):

TORONTO — Toronto city council has approved a $9.2 billion operating budget for 2010 that includes a residential property tax increase to 2.9 per cent. Employment and social services eats up $1.35 billion to support an anticipated increase in the number of people requiring assistance as the economy recovers. More than $950 million is earmarked for Toronto's police service of more than 5,500 officers. About $378 million will go to provide child care spaces in more than 940 child care centres and 21 home child care agencies. And about $360 million will pay to deliver Toronto's more than 60,000 recreation programs. (..) However, council voted not to implement a one-time sign-up fee of $25 for recreation program registration, which means that $788,000 will be drawn from the 2009 surplus to cover this user fee revenue reduction.

Casa mea este un “backsplit”, ceea ce inseamna ca exista o scara interioara care zig-zag-uie intre multiple nivele (5-6) care ocupa de fapt spatiul a 2-3. Astfel de case ofera o suprafata locuibila mai mare la un pret mai mic, de obicei pe teren denivelat. Valoarea casei este evaluata de MPAC (o organizatie quasi-independenta) iar acestei valori i se aplica rata de taxare. LE: Poti contesta assessment-ul lor, dar chiar daca assessment-ul casei tale este socotita cu mult peste cea a vecinilor ei tot iti pot spune "pas". Chestia asta mi s-a intamplat mie – casele de pe strada mea fiind practic identice. Mi s-a sugerat ca persoana cu care ma judec ar fi dat spaga in acest sens pentru a-si mari castigul potential. In cazul meu, anul acesta valoarea casei a fost estimata la $355500 care rezulta intr-o taxa de $2096. Pentru educatie platesc $857, bani pe care ii platesc pentru scolile din zona chit ca n-am copii care merg la ea. Daca inchiriezi, nu platesti nimic chiar daca ai copii care merg la scoala. LE: Poti alege sa platesti taxe in sistemul public sau in sistemul catolic, care-i separat. Numai catolicii au un sistem de invatamant separat in care-ti poti plati taxele, la alegere – nici o alta religie nu beneficiaza de acest avantaj.

Valoarea casei variaza, pe langa suprafata locuibila (cam 3000 sq ft sau 280 metri patrati in cazul meu), in primul rand in functie de zona. Casa mea se afla intr-o zona medie ca cerere si este in general considerata potrivita pentru cei cu venituri mici. Zonele cele mai bune sunt in Toronto in jur de Bathurst, la sud de Eglinton si-n general downtown. Un alt factor de variatie este daca e o casa “detached” sau “de capul ei”, a mea fiind semi-detached, adica imparte un perete exterior cu un vecin. Casele complet separate costa mai mult, dar cele ca a mea implica niste costuri mai mici de incalzire. Alte plusuri ar fi o padure in spatele casei, un centru de recreere + parc la 2 minute de mers pe jos, 3 bai complete, 3 bucatarii, garaj de 2 masini (in care-mi tin masa de biliard ), 6 dormitoare, closed deck etc.

Nu numai proprietatile rezidentiale (casele) sunt taxate, ci si cele comerciale si industriale:

Description	City Tax Rate %	Education Tax Rate %	Total Tax Rate %
Residential	0.5895702%	0.2410000%	0.8305702%
Multi-Residential	1.9552517%	0.2410000%	2.1962517%
New Multi-Residential	0.5895702%	0.2410000%	0.8305702%
Commercial General	1.9367482%	1.6615560%	3.5983042%
Residual Commercial - Band 1	1.8423459%	1.6615560%	3.5039019%
Residual Commercial - Band 2	1.9367482%	1.6615560%	3.5983042%
Industrial	1.9900160%	1.7040030%	3.6940190%
Pipelines	1.1340760%	1.6890270%	2.8231030%
Farmlands	0.1473925%	0.0602500%	0.2076425%
Managed Forests	0.1473925%	0.0602500%	0.2076425%
Example: Estimated taxes on a residential property with an Assessed Value of $407,374: Estimated property tax = Assessed Value x Residential Tax Rate = $407,374 x 0.8305702% = $3,383.53

Cumparatul unei case e o decizie care ar trebui sa fie conjuncturala, dar pentru majoritatea oamenilor este un deziderat vital. Nu vreau sa intru in amanunte, dar eu as prefera sa inchiriez decat sa am casa. Singurul motiv pentru care am aceasta casa este ca sunt inglodat intr-un proces de prin 2003.

Toronto fata de restul Canadei (LE)

Avem aici pare-se cele mai mari taxe de proprietate conform unui studiu recent din Edmonton bazat pe datele de la Statistics Canada:

Toronto ranked first with the highest taxes paid at $3,912, followed by Brampton at $3,826. Ottawa was third at $3,532; Hamilton and London were fifth and sixth at $3,305 and $3,078 respectively. St. John’s, Newfoundland, deserves credit for taking last place with the lowest average tax at $1,540, and Surrey, BC was second last at $1,814. (..) The main reason for high and growing property taxes in Ontario is that municipal spending is out of control. Municipalities have a spending problem, not a revenue problem. While mayors continue to clamour for more and more money from many sources, their appetites for spending grow unchecked. Data from Statistics Canada shows that municipal revenue across Ontario has been running at three times the rate of inflation. In 2006 municipal revenue was up 6.3% while inflation was only at 2.0%; in 2005 revenue was up 7.2% and inflation was only 2.2%. Despite Ontario municipal revenues ballooning from higher taxes, more transfers from other levels of government, higher user fees and new taxes in Toronto; mayors continue to complain that they don’t have enough.

Aflam de asemenea dintr-un studiu Stats Can:

• Families in British Columbia, where property values are relatively higher, did not necessarily pay higher property taxes. In 1998, they paid 0.7% of market value compared with 1.9% in Quebec and Manitoba.
• Income taxes far exceed property taxes. In 1998, the majority of families paid less than 5% of their income in property taxes while spending 10% or more on income tax. Overall, income tax averaged more than seven times the property tax bill.
• While income taxes are progressive (reducing income inequality), property taxes are regressive (increasing inequality). Families with incomes of $100,000 or more paid 28.6% in income tax compared with only 1.8% in property tax. The respective shares were 4.0% and 10.0% for those with incomes under $20,000. Property taxes were most regressive at the bottom of the income distribution.
• Since property taxes are not related to the ability to pay, the elderly and those in low-income groups paid proportionately more. Even though on average the elderly had significant financial assets and home equity, the low-income elderly paid 11.7% of their income in property taxes while their non low-income counterparts paid just 4.2%.

Dupa cantecul Angelei Similea “Casa Mea” am adaugat si cateva alte discutii similare in lista de mai jos. Poti gasi de asemenea si alte cateva calculatoare de “rent vs own”. O casa ca a mea ar putea fi inchiriata cam cu $2000 / luna.

Sources / More info: gov.ca-rent-v-own, nyt-rent-v-own, wiki-prop-tax, tor-prop-v-canada, stats-can-prop-tax, glob-prop-guide, tax-tips-ca, khris-own-v-rent, split-level-home, split-designs, cp-24-buget, to-tax-rates, mpac, mpac-login, yt-casa