Taxes & Assessment

The Town of Blaine Lake collects property taxes each year in accordance with guidelines set by the Province of Saskatchewan.

To determine how much tax each property owes, the Town works with the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency, also known as SAMA. SAMA is a provincial body responsible for assessing properties and assigning each one a taxable assessed value. This value is based on the type of property it is, such as residential or commercial, as well as its estimated market value.

Once a property has been assessed, the Town applies what are called mill rates to calculate the amount of tax owed. A mill rate means that for every one thousand dollars of a property's taxable assessed value, the owner pays one dollar in tax. For example, a property with a taxable assessed value of one hundred thousand dollars would owe one hundred dollars for each mill applied. Different types of properties may be subject to different mill rates, so the amount owed can vary depending on how a property is classified.

Mill rates are not fixed from year to year. They are reviewed and approved by the Town each year as part of the annual budget process. This allows the Town to adjust rates based on the cost of delivering services and the overall financial needs of the municipality.

In addition to mill rate taxes, the Town also charges a flat base tax to every property within its boundaries. Unlike mill rate taxes, this amount does not change based on a property's assessed value. It is a set fee that helps the Town cover the fixed costs of providing municipal services to all properties equally.