Laval to increase taxes by 4.8 per cent, on par with Montreal

Laval Mayor Stephane Boyer speaks during an event calling for the ban of pesticides in Laval, Que., Saturday, July 31, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer gave a sneak peek of his city's upcoming budget, with property taxes set to go up by 4.8 per cent, mirroring the City of Montreal, which unveiled its budget on Wednesday.

The city said the increase will work out to about $162 per year for an average home costing $440,742.

The city said Laval's inflation rate form August 2022 to August 2023 is at 5.2 per cent, the same as Montreal.

Boyer said the municipality has cut spending, diversified revenues and optimized processes to keep the tax increase below the inflation rate, which the City of Laval says hovers around five per cent.

"Our administration has made every effort to keep taxes below inflation, without compromising services to residents," said Boyer in a news release. "We are proud of the rigour of this budgetary exercise and of the efficiencies that have been put in place since we took office in 2021."

The city said cancelling the $300 million biomethanization plant project in February was one way the administration has saved money.

Full details of Laval's budget are expected to be released on Dec. 12.