Clarington Council has decided to waive tax penalties and interest for 60 days, starting with the April installment to help residents and business owners struggling to cope with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pickering, Oshawa and Whitby have also announced a similar measure.
“Council recognizes that our entire community is immersed in an incredibly difficult situation. This is just a small measure to give residents more time to make their tax payment and not stress about a looming due date. It’s an easy decision to help the community as we work together to rebuild our economy,” said Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster.
The two-month penalty relief will be effective on the April installment, with no penalties or interest charged in May or June. In addition, Clarington will also waive any service fees for residents who have insufficient funds or who wish to adjust their pre-authorized payments. Residents who wish to change the schedule for their pre-authorized payments are asked to call the Tax Department at 905-623-3379 ext. 2650 or email tax@clarington.net, said a media release.
“The Municipal Act prevents Clarington from waiving taxes. What we are trying to do here is to ease the financial burden on our community,” added Mayor Foster.
The municipality has also delayed the due date for the final installment of the residential tax bill to July 24, 2020. Clarington can revisit this due date if the COVID-19 pandemic continues beyond this date.
Internal error sending past receipts to customers
Clarington’s Community Services Department said it is working to resolve an internal error that is causing past receipts from programs and services to be sent to our customers in error.
“If you receive an email with a past receipt, please disregard,” it said adding, “If you have concerns or questions, please reach out to us at communityservices@clarington.net for further investigation.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience as we work to resolve this issue,” said a statement.