Property taxes are billed twice each calendar year on an interim tax bill and a final tax bill. The Township is responsible to collect taxes on behalf of the County of Oxford and the school boards with jurisdiction in our municipality. Property taxes are calculated based on the property’s assessed value using the established tax rate for the property’s classification.

Interim Tax Bill

1st instalment due on the last working day of February
2nd instalment due on the last working day of May

Final Tax Bill

1st instalment due on the last working day of August
2nd instalment due on the last working day of October

The interim tax bill contains 2 instalments, with the first instalment being due on the last working day of the month of February and the second instalment being due on the last working day of the month of May. The interim tax bill is calculated at 50% of the previous year’s total taxes billed on the property.

The final tax bill contains 2 instalments, with the first instalment being due on the last working day of the month of August and the second instalment being due on the last working day of the month of October. The final tax bill amount is determined following Council’s adoption of the Township’s budget and the passage of the tax rating by-law for the current year. The final tax bill reflects the total taxes assessed on the property for the year less the amount already charged on the interim tax bill.

For inquiries regarding the Property Assessment Value assigned to your property, please contact the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. Visit the MPAC website for more information.

Please complete a Property Assessment Reconsideration form if you feel that your property value needs to be reevaluated. Forms are available by visiting the MPAC website.

For any inquiries or comments regarding your property tax account, please contact Lynda Thornton Tax Collector/Deputy Treasurer at 519- 485-2490 ext. 7222 or send Lynda an email.

Viewing property information in person

The Assessment Rolls are available for you to view during our regular office hours, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Municipal Office. 

The Township of Zorra's Assessment Rolls list all properties in the Township. They include the following information for each property:

• owner and/or tenant names;
• mailing address;
• assessed value; and the
• school support for taxation purposes.

Property Assessment Search Tool

Use our Property Assessment Search Tool to search properties within the Township of Zorra. The Search Tool includes information approved by Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). Please email MPAC if you have any questions regarding your assessment or call 1 866-296-6722 (toll free). 

The Assessment Cycle

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario government has postponed the 2020 Assessment Update. They have indicated that property assessments for the 2022 and 2023 property tax years will continue to be based on the fully phased-in January 1, 2016 current values. This means your property assessment for the 2022 property tax year will be the same as the 2021 tax year, unless there have been changes to your property.

In 2016, we mailed a Property Assessment Notice to every property owner in the province – assessing more than five million properties in Ontario. Your 2016 Notice reflects the assessed value and classification of your property as of January 1, 2016 and this will be used as the basis for calculating your 2022 and 2023 property taxes.

We continue to review properties during non-Assessment Update years as new homes are built, owners renovate, structures are demolished and properties change use.

You may receive a notice from MPAC if there has been a change to your property including:

• Change to property ownership, legal description, or school support.
• Change to the property’s value resulting from a Request for Reconsideration, or an Assessment Review Board decision.
• Property value increase/decrease reflecting a change to the property; for example, a new structure, addition, or removal of an old structure.
• Change in the classification or tax liability of the property.

The Assessment Cycle | MPAC

There are a number of ways to pay your property taxes.

Pay in Person at the Zorra Office

We accept cash, cheque, or debit at the office during business hours Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (excluding statutory holidays).

Pay Online through your bank

We are set up with most major banks to accept payments using internet or telephone banking. You must use your Property Roll Number indicated on your tax bill to register.

To setup your property taxes as a bill payment through your online banking, go to “add a bill” and search for “Zorra”. Select Zorra Township Tax and enter the Roll Number from your tax bill as your account number. Use your 15-digit roll number, excluding the dashes.

Example: If your roll number on your tax bill shows 014-010-01106-0000 then you would enter this as 01401001106. If an error occurs, please add the extra four zeros at the end and try again.

Note: you must setup a separate bill payment for each property roll number. If you own three properties, you must submit three separate tax payments, one to each roll number.

Setup Pre-Authorized Payments from your Bank Account

The Township offers a pre-authorized payment plan for the payment of property taxes. This is a free service. Payment options include:

• 4 instalments with payments being withdrawn on the regular instalment due dates for the amounts indicated on your tax bill
• 10 instalments with payments being withdrawn from your account on the last day of the month from January to October.
• 12 instalments with payments being withdrawn from your account on the last banking day of the month January to December.

Please visit our Forms page and complete a Pre-Authorized Payment Application form if you are interested in signing up for this service.

Note: If for any reason you wish to be removed from this payment plan, or if your banking information changes, you must notify the tax office in writing at least thirty (30) days before the next pre-authorized payment is due.

eTransfers

eTransfer is now available! Use email address accountsreceivable@zorra.ca for the recipient. In the message field, please indicate what you are paying or purchasing from Zorra (i.e. Composter, Work & Road Use Permit, Building Permit, etc.).

Please note, etransfer is not recommended as a payment method for property tax payments. Consider instead using the pre-authorized payment or online bill payment option. 

Penalty and interest charges of 1.25% will be added to instalments not paid by the due date. Interest charges are applied on the first day of each month until the balance is paid. Failure to receive a tax bill does not exempt the taxpayer from late payment charges.

Tax certificates are issued upon request in writing to anyone requiring certified information on the status of a property tax account. The cost is $50 per certificate and cheques can be made payable to the Township of Zorra. Emailed/faxed requests are not accepted.

Property Tax Treatment of Renewable Energy Installations

On January 4, 2012, Ontario Regulation 282/98 under the Assessment Act was amended to provide greater clarity and introduce new rules governing the property tax treatment of renewable energy installations. The amendments apply to facilities that generate electricity using solar energy, wind energy or anaerobic digestion of organic matter. The amendments take effect as of January 1, 2011. Click here for a fact sheet regarding Property Tax Treatment of Renewable Energy Installations.

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• 2016 Tax Rates