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The city of Calgary June 4, 2014 almost a year after the city was badly flooded.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail

Looking for a reason to grumble about property taxes? Depending on what type of property you own and where, we might have one for you.

The Real Property Association of Canada (REALpac), which represents commercial real estate owners such as pension funds and real estate investment trusts, has completed its 11th annual property tax survey. The association, which advocates for lower commercial-to-residential tax ratios, has crunched the numbers for the major municipalities in Canada. The association notes that while residential and commercial tax rates have generally been declining, that doesn't translate into significantly lower tax payments because assessment values have been on the rise.

Here's a sneak peek at the findings:

Calgary

  • Estimated commercial property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $14.11
  • Estimated residential property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $6.10
  • Commercial-to-residential ratio: 2.31, up 2.2 per cent from last year
  • Calgary has one of the lowest estimated tax rates on commercial properties per $1,000 of assessment

Edmonton

  • Estimated commercial property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $18
  • Estimated residential property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $8.01
  • Commercial-to-residential ratio: 2.25, down 3.6 per cent from last year
  • Residential rates rose by 2.5 per cent

Halifax

  • Estimated commercial property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $34.02
  • Estimated residential property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $12.11
  • Commercial-to-residential ratio: 2.81, down 4.4 per cent from last year
  • Halifax’s ratio has been edging down since 2012. A 6.8-per-cent increase in the city’s taxable commercial property assessment base this past year allowed for a significant drop in commercial rates, which went down by more than residential rates. As a result Halifax’s ratio saw the largest drop of all the cities since last year.

Montreal

  • Estimated commercial property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $37.12
  • Estimated residential property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $8.27
  • Commercial-to-residential ratio: 4.49, up 1.9 per cent from last year
  • -his is the tenth year in a row the ratio has risen in Montreal. Both commercial and residential rates fell from last year, but residential rates are declining more quickly. The city has one of the highest estimated commercial tax rates per $1,000 of assessment.

Ottawa

  • Estimated commercial property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $30.41
  • Estimated residential property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $11.27
  • Commercial-to-residential ratio: 2.7, up 0.4 per cent from last year
  • The ratio is expected to remain stable for the rest of Ontario’s 2013-2016 property assessment cycle. Ottawa has one of the highest estimated commercial tax rates per $1,000 of assessment.

Regina

  • Estimated commercial property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $21.37
  • Estimated residential property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $13.69
  • Commercial-to-residential ratio: 1.56, down 0.1 per cent from last year
  • Regina has one of the lowest ratios, with one of the highest residential property tax rates.

Saskatoon

  • Estimated commercial property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $17.62
  • Estimated residential property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $12.58
  • Commercial-to-residential ratio: 1.4, down 1 per cent from last year
  • Saskatoon has one of the lowest ratios and highest residential property tax rates. It has a goal of maintaining the target ratio of 1.4 per cent.

Toronto

  • Estimated commercial property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $28.98
  • Estimated residential property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $7.23
  • Commercial-to-residential ratio: 4.01, down 1.5 per cent from last year
  • The ratio has been falling for 11 years. The city aims to reduce the tax ratios for commercial properties to 2.5 times the residential rate by 2020. It cut residential taxes for the sixth year in a row.

Vancouver

  • Estimated commercial property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $15.91
  • Estimated residential property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $3.68
  • Commercial-to-residential ratio: 4.33, down 0.4 per cent from last year
  • The ratio has been fairly stable for three years.

Winnipeg

  • Estimated commercial property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $25
  • Estimated residential property taxes per $1,000 of assessment: $12.13
  • Commercial-to-residential ratio: 2.06, up 1.9 per cent from last year

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