2026 Tax Rates Information

Introduction

Annual spending priorities for the City are set each year through the budget process. Although we continue to find efficiencies in our operations and do more with less, new projects, additional service levels, and rising costs of doing business often require budget increases funded through taxation.

You can't appeal your taxes. You can only appeal your assessment.

As a City, we are focusing on building a better Prince Albert.

The 2026 Plan addresses the $3,309,467 required to balance the City’s approved operating and capital budgets and reserve allocations. The proposed changes include:

2.03% mill rate increase and
A net $12 base tax increase, reflecting the consolidation of the former police tax into the base tax.

Why We Use a Base Tax

Increasing the base tax recognizes that every property benefits equally from essential services like fire, police, and roads. It also reduces the gap between what the highest- and lowest-assessed properties pay, making the overall tax system fairer and more balanced for everyone.

2026 Cost Drivers

$524,300 – Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre operations (including savings from Frank Dunn and Dave G. Steuart arenas)
$2.51M – Salaries, wages, and benefits across City departments
$723,853 – Prince Albert Police Service funding increase
$1M – 6th Avenue Viaduct Bridge Rehabilitation

By maintaining the commercial-to-residential tax ratio to support a competitive investment climate, this plan increases the base tax for fire and policing services and aligns the 2026 Tax Tools with the approved Budget to support the City’s long-term stability and success.

As 2026 is not a revaluation year, residents should not expect major shifts in individual tax bills.

2026 Tax Impact

2026 Residential Tax Impact

Impact on Residential Properties

Raising the mill rate—the traditional tax tool used by municipalities—would significantly increase taxes on higher-value properties. A base tax is an approach cities use to reduce the gap in property taxes between lower- and higher-valued homes.

The base tax helps address market shifts and their disproportionate impact on higher-valued homes in Prince Albert. Higher-valued properties will still pay a larger share of total taxes, as intended in the system, but not to the same extent as they would under a mill rate increase alone.

Impact based on taxable values to 2026 Property Tax Tools
Assessed Value	$120,000	$200,000	$250,000	$350,125	$450,375
Taxable Value*	$96,000	$160,000	$200,000	$280,100	$360,300
2025 Taxes	$2,265	$3,323	$3,984	$5,307	$6,633
2026 Taxes	$2,342	$3,443	$4,131	$5,509	$6,888
$ Increase Amount	$77	$120	$147	$201	$255
Total Per Month	$6.40	$10.01	$12.26	$16.77	$21.28

^{*Taxable Value is 80% of the Assessed Value.}

1. General Municipal Levy – Increase from 13.943 to 14.226 mills, representing a 2.03% increase

2. Base Tax and Special Tax

Base Tax changes from 2025
	2026 Change
Base Tax	$35	Increase
Snow Management Tax	$1 Increase	Increase
Roadways Special Tax	$11	Increase
Police Spcial Tax	($35)	Decrease
Net Change from 2025	$12	*Increase*

3. Minimum Tax – Minimum Tax will increase from $900 to $975.

Properties are impacted by a minimum tax if their general municipal levy is less than $975. Minimum tax then tops them up to $975 for the General Municipal Levy. This impacts property owners differently based on their assessments.

4. The Vacant Residential Land Minimum Tax will remain at $1,600. These funds the Vacant Lot Program and are unavailable for general budget balancing.

5. Library Levy – Increase from 0.814 to .819 mills to support the approved budget for the Prince Albert Public Library.

6. Business Improvement District (BID) Levy – No increase

7. The Destination Marketing Levy maintains the existing sliding scale for hotel properties.

2026 Multi Residential Impact

Impact on Multi-Residential Properties

1. General Municipal Levy – Increase from 13.943 to 14.226 mills, representing a 2.03% increase

2. Base Tax and Special Tax

Base Tax changes from 2025
	2026 Change
Base Tax	$9	Increase
Snow Management Tax	$1	Increase
Roadways Special Tax	$3	Increase
Police Spcial Tax	($35)	Decrease
Net Change from 2025	($22)	*Decrease*

3. Minimum Tax – Minimum Tax will increase from $900 to $975.

4. The Vacant Residential Land Minimum Tax will remain at $1,600. These funds the Vacant Lot Program and are unavailable for general budget balancing.

5. Library Levy – Increase from 0.814 to .819 mills to support the approved budget for the Prince Albert Public Library.

6. Business Improvement District (BID) Levy – No increase

7. The Destination Marketing Levy maintains the existing sliding scale for hotel properties.

2026 Commercial Tax Impact

Impact on Commercial Properties

1. General Municipal Levy – Increase from 13.943 to 14.226 mills, representing a 2.03% increase

2. Base Tax and Special Tax

Base Tax changes from 2025
	2026 Change
Base Tax	5% Sliding scale	Increase
Snow Management Tax	1% Sliding scale	Increase
Roadways Special Tax	5% Sliding scale	Increase

3. Minimum Tax – Minimum Tax will increase from $900 to $975.

4. The Vacant Residential Land Minimum Tax will remain at $1,600. These funds the Vacant Lot Program and are unavailable for general budget balancing.

5. Library Levy – Increase from 0.814 to .819 mills to support the approved budget for the Prince Albert Public Library.

6. Business Improvement District (BID) Levy – No increase

7. The Destination Marketing Levy maintains the existing sliding scale for hotel properties.

Commercial to Residential Property Tax Ratio

The 2025 Property Tax Plan addressed the commercial disparity and adjusted the tax rate to reduce the overall impact of reassessment on commercial properties. This change was intended to help keep Prince Albert competitive in the investment market by ensuring that commercial properties do not bear an excessive property tax burden. It also helps to manage dramatic swings in property tax values for commercial properties because of revaluation.

The proposed rates continue to address the commercial assessment increases and disparity in the rate ratio to residential.

Commercial to Residential Property Tax Ratio
	2025 Ratio to Residential	2026 Ratio to Residential
Commercial Tier 1	1.58	1.59
Commercial Tier 2	1.58	1.59
Commercial Tier 3	1.87	1.89
Commercial Tier 4	1.80	1.90
Commercial Tier 5	1.88	1.90

General Tax Rate Information

Understanding Base Taxes, Special Taxes and Levies

The property tax system is designed to assess taxes based on the value of your home's value. This is called the ad valorem system. The general principle is that the higher the property's value, the higher the property taxes. Different types of tax tools are available to cities to provide some flexibility in how tax rates are applied:

Mill Rate (ad valorem): a tax rate applicable to all assessed properties in the City. It is calculated as a percentage of the property's value, so the higher the value, the higher the property taxes.
Mill Rate Factor: applies a ratio to increase or decrease the effective mill rate for each property class or subclass.
Minimum Tax: guarantees that a property will pay a minimum amount of property taxes.
Base Tax: a fixed amount applied to each property that effectively reduces the difference in property taxes between lower and higher assessed properties.
Special Tax: revenue generated for a specific purpose.

Property Tax Bylaws

The following property tax bylaws are in place for 2023.

Property Tax Bylaw

The Property Tax Bylaw raises the amount of taxes for General Municipal, Library and Capital Project Levies. It also has the current rates for base taxes, minimum tax and Destination Marketing Levy for Hotels.

Snow Management Special Tax Bylaw

The Snow Management Special Tax Bylaw establishes the rate of tax to raises funds to cover the expenses of the City’s snow management operations.

Roadways Special Tax Bylaw

The Roadways Special Tax Bylaw sets the rate of tax to raises funds to cover the annual paving program.

Police Special Tax Bylaw

The Police Special Tax Bylaw provides the rate of tax to raise funds to cover expenses in the proactive policing unit.

Business Improvement District Levy Bylaw

The Business Improvement District Levy Bylaw establishes the rate of tax to raise funds for the Prince Albert Down Business Improvement District’s activities. This levy is applied to properties located in the Downtown Business Improvement District area, defined in Bylaw No. 4 of 2005.

Property Tax Incentive and Penalties Bylaw

Our Property Tax Incentive and Penalties Bylaw identifies all the due dates of taxes, the interest charges, our TIPPS incentive as well as our discount for early payments.

School Taxes

The City of Prince Albert is required by legislation to bill and collect school taxes on behalf of the Province. You can make a declaration of whether your education property tax dollars will support the Public School or the Separate School.

School board taxes do not have a mill rate factor associated with them. Please see our property tax bylaw to see all the rates associated with your tax notice.

Property Tax Estimates

Exact taxes for any particular property are not provided. You can find an approximation of taxes by using the property tax estimate calculator. To use the calculator you need to click on Assessment Online, you will need to know the assessed value of a property.

Property Ownership

If you would like to find out who the owner of a property is, please contact Information Services Corporation.

Property Tax Relief

Property tax relief may be considered if it meets the criteria listed in the Property Tax Relief Policy.

Tax Insert Archive