How a pledge to freeze education property tax could impact Albertans

The province says Calgarians can expect a break on their property taxes. The premier announcing Friday the government will freeze education property tax rates for the next three years. It says its take will also be slightly less in 2027, saving property owners and municipalities across Alberta almost $100 million. It's also moving to universal tax rates in place of rates that varied by community. Because no matter where Albertans live, they should be able to count on a fair, consistent, and predictable approach to education property taxes. Starting next year, the rate for all residential and farmland properties will be $2.65 for every $1,000 of assessed value. For businesses, the rate will be $3.98. The current education property tax calculation does not always meet that clarity test. When rates vary by municipalities and don't align with the provincial rates, it makes tax bills harder to understand. That's about 4% less than this year's rates for Calgary homeowners and businesses, according to the city's website. The announcement follows months of criticism from the mayor after the province raised its portion of property taxes for Calgary homeowners by about 20% last year. Now, Farkas says the city can catch up on investments while keeping next year's combined property tax hike Below the increase in 2026. That means more police officers, better support for our firefighters, and fixing the aging infrastructure that Calgary and Calgarians depend on. One political scientist says she's not surprised by the timing following backlash in Alberta's largest cities over the referendum. Well, it makes a lot of sense because the government... Alberta is trying to win back voters in Calgary and Edmonton, particularly in Calgary. We heard loud and clear that the issues that we have been talking about for the last couple of months aren't really the top of mind issues for Calgarians. The province says it'll lock in new property tax rates every three years going forward to give taxpayers and municipalities more clarity on what to expect. Brendan Coulter, CBC News, Calgary City Hall.