TAXATION MONDAY: WHERE DOES YOUR PROPETY TAX MONEY ACTUALLY GO? Part 3

Aldona Barysas-Oleinikas

Sep 28

2 min read

September 28th, 2026

We've looked at what makes up your property-tax bill.

We've looked at who is responsible for each portion.

Now let's put some actual numbers to it.

🏠 THE AVERAGE 2026 WASAGA BEACH HOUSEHOLD

According to the Town of Wasaga Beach's September 2026 Budget Snapshot, the average household property-tax bill is:

$4,073.13

Here's where it goes:

	Amount	Share
🏖️ Town of Wasaga Beach	$2,493.94	61%
🌳 County of Simcoe	$1,069.70	26%
🎓 Education	$509.49	13%
TOTAL	$4,073.13	100%

Source: Town of Wasaga Beach, 2026 Budget Snapshot.

💡 PUT ANOTHER WAY...

For every $1.00 in the average property-tax bill:

61¢ stays with the Town

26¢ goes to the County

13¢ goes toward education

The Town collects the property taxes on behalf of the Town, the County and the local school boards.

🤔 SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

When someone says: "My property taxes are too high."

There is an important question to ask: Which part of the property tax are we talking about?

Town Council is responsible for the Town's portion.

County Council is responsible for the County's portion.

And the Province establishes the education tax rate.

Each level of government has different responsibilities — and different decisions affect the amount collected.

🌳 AND WHAT ABOUT THE COUNTY?

The 26% that goes to the County pays for County-level responsibilities and services.

These include things such as:

Paramedic services
Social housing
Ontario Works
Children's services
Long-term care
County roads
Solid waste management
Emergency planning
Tourism
Land-use policy planning

Source: County of Simcoe.

We'll take a closer look at who makes those County-level decisions in the next Taxation Monday.

🧮 HERE'S THE QUESTION I'D LIKE US TO ASK:

What are we getting for our tax dollars?

Not just:"How much am I paying?"

But: What services are we receiving?

What do those services cost?

Who is responsible for them?

And are we getting the results our community needs?

Because understanding our taxes isn't just about the number at the bottom of the bill.

It's about understanding what we're paying for.

Thanks for listening! 💗

Next Taxation Monday: Who represents us at the County level — and what's changing?