Commercial/Industrial Tax Rebate Programs

The City of Peterborough offers Commercial and Industrial property owners rebates on taxes for all or portions of their properties that have been vacant during the year. The following are the program details.

Vacancy Rebate Program for Commercial & Industrial Properties

In general, Commercial and/or Industrial Taxpayers may make application to the City for a Rebate of Property Taxes if all or a portion of their business property was vacant or unused for 90 consecutive days or more. 

Eligibility 

Category 1 - Buildings that are Entirely Vacant

A whole commercial or industrial building will be eligible for rebate if:

• the entire building was unused for at least 90 consecutive days.

A building or portion of a building will not be eligible for a rebate if:

• it is used for commercial or industrial activity on a seasonal basis
• it is leased to a tenant who is in possession of the leasehold interest throughout the period of time
• during the period of vacancy it was included in a sub-class for vacant land

Note
For complete information about eligibility and application requirements, please refer to section 364 of the Municipal Act, 2001 and Ontario Regulation 325/01. 

For general information about the rebate program, you may refer to the Ministry of Finance bulletin “Property Tax Rebates for Vacant Commercial and Industrial Buildings”. This bulletin is available on the Internet at http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/english/publications/bulletins/frost_01ibvacancy.html.

Category 2 - Buildings that are Partially Vacant

A suite or unit within a commercial building will be eligible for a rebate if, for at least 90 consecutive days, it was:

• unused
• clearly delineated or physically separated from the used portions of the building
• capable of being leased for immediate occupation
• undergoing or in need of repairs or renovations that prevented it from being available for lease for immediate occupation
• unfit for occupation

A portion of an industrial building will be eligible for a rebate if, for at least 90 consecutive days, it was:

• unused
• clearly delineated or physically separated from the used portions of the building.

Applications

A total of two applications per class per property may be remitted each taxation year. An interim application covering the first six months of the year can be remitted into the Tax Office by the last day of July in the taxation year to which the application relates. A final application covering the last six months of the year (or the whole year if you do not wish to submit an interim application) MUST be received in the City Tax Office no later than February 28th (February 29th in a leap year) of the year following the taxation year to which the application relates. For applications that span from one taxation year to another, the deadline for submission into the Tax Office is February 28th of the year following the latter taxation year to which the application relates. Applications may be faxed into the Tax Office by the deadline, however, the original application must be remitted in order to be processed.

• Any person who knowingly makes a false or deceptive statement in this application is guilty of an offence and, upon conviction is liable for a fine.
• To be eligible for a rebate, a building or portion of a building must satisfy the conditions described in Category 1 or Category 2 above.

The current Vacancy Form is available online.

** Please note that the forms may be faxed to our offices in order to meet the deadlines, however, the original must be forwarded in a timely matter before your application will be processed. **

Tax Office Fax Number: 705-748-8839

Questions

If you require help in completing this application form or have questions regarding the Vacancy Rebate Program, please contact:

City of Peterborough
Property Tax Department
705-742-7777 or Toll Free at 1-855-738-3755 ext. 1865

Tax Rebates For Registered Charities

The City of Peterborough offers a rebate program for registered charities that either lease or own properties taxed in the Commercial or Industrial tax classes. The rebate offered is 100% of the property taxes paid by the registered charity up to a maximum of $50,000 per annum. Supporting documentation from Revenue Canada must be submitted with the first application form only. Application forms are issued for both the interim and final billing. The taxes must be paid up front as they become due. Rebates will be issued between the two instalment dates for each billing and will be paid directly to the Charity. The forms must be filled out by both the registered charity and the landlord of the property verifying the actual property taxes paid. Further details on the program can be found in By-law #05-265. The 2012 interim form is now available.

• City Hall
• Living
• Business
• Visiting
• Online Services
• Login