Swimming pool tax: A new tax to come?

On August 15, during the municipal council of the City of Montreal, there was talk of taxes for pool owners on the Montreal territory.
“To eliminate the maintenance deficit of its water system, the City would have to pay a billion dollars per year for the next 10 years.
This is why a mandatory contribution from pool owners is one of the scenarios studied, as is a system of charges for impermeable surfaces.”

However, this type of tax is already in effect in several municipalities in Québec.

The City of Saint-Lambert began imposing this tax in 2015, and since then many municipalities such as the Cities of Laval and Longueuil have also imposed it.

In Laval(1), the City’s website indicates $44 per pool:
Cost of the annual municipal tax (water tax): $44, whether it be for an above-ground or an in-ground pool.

In Longueuil(2), the rate for a pool is $75 for residential units and 6 units or more.

Even if we may think that there will be fewer pools to tax in Montreal, given the configuration of the buildings and the type of buildings mainly present, this new tax, if implemented, will be an additional tax burden to absorb for all the owners concerned.

According to the Greater Montréal Observatory’s PORTRAIT DE L’HABITATION DANS LE GRAND MONTRÉAL, issued in 2022(3), there are just over 1.7 million occupied private dwellings in the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal.
• 30.4% are single-detached houses
• 8.3% are semi-detached or row houses

The City of Montreal, like all cities, is looking for a new source of funding, but the perpetual imposition of additional taxes cannot be the solution.
The City launched its tax project in 2022 with consultations and a forum to establish a new fiscal pact in 2024.

The Association des Propriétaires du Québec (APQ) will keep you informed of the progress of this project and hopes that rental properties will no longer be considered as tax collectors for the City.