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saturday nov 9 2005 serving the community of whitchurchstouffville 52 pages1 including gst priceless opportunity to meet game show icon bob barker opinion 6 sports 17 festival i 20 classified 35 photo illustrationmike barrett your homes value has gone up hut your property taxes may not by patrick mangion staff writer so you scrimped and saved bit the bullet and dove headlong into york regions housing market with prices here among the highest in the greater toronto area the savvy investor in you real ized a markham newmarket or richmond hill home would only appreciate over time well you were almost certainly proven right by the assessment notice you received in the mail last week but that could be a good newsbad news scenario on one hand the municipal property assessment corporation is confirming the value of your investment is up an average of 1114 per cent regionwide since 2003 but that could translate into a much higher tax bill for instance a home valued at 300000 in 2003 would now be worth 334200 today mpac uses current value assessment what the property would have sold for on jan 1 2005 to calculate assessments but just because the value of your home increased it doesnt necessarily mean your taxes will follow suit the assessment is combined with the mill fate set by municipal ities to determine next years taxes a homeowner whose property is assessed below the municipal average could actually have a lower tax bill in 2006 markham tax direc tor paul wealleans said if your home is assessed at more than the municipal average the increased value of your property see rural page u whacked by mpac the assessment commissions decisions arent carved in stone if you think your assessment is wrong you can request a free reconsideration but you have to file by dec 31 you can also file a complaint with the assessment review board but there is a fee for this process and the complaint must be filed before march 31 2006 a little more than 3 per cent of the provinces property owners dispute their assessments with mpac said gregory baxter an account manager with mpac for information visit wwwmpacca hot tubs beachcomber hot tubs auth dealership seaway pools hot tubs call 2948030 27 itefttag mi markham honda 8220 kennedy rd markham 905 4772451 wwwmarkhamhondacom fall performance package honda for peak performance this summer dont open your hood to strangers bring your vehicle home to honda for a comprehensive multipoint inspection pjus a genuine honda oil and filter change r bring it home to honda toiihbu for mit hondi mbdetasef net included proiindii cniironncni fc ff amvetdtkied town arid conhttyf 640-088o- s