At the start of the week, as the due date for the second payment of taxes, François Bélisle published on his Facebook page the recall for the date of July 7. He added this: “Hoping that it is the last year for Trifluvian taxpayers where we only have a maximum of two payments to pay our taxes to the city of Trois-Rivières, unlike most other cities …”
The advisor, who has repeatedly expressed his favorable opinion to increase the number of possible payments, assured that he was going to continue his fight in this direction. “Count on me to continue to campaign to allow us to pay our taxes in three or better four payments and do not hesitate to question the many candidates for the town hall about this service to the population,” he wrote.
The subject therefore rebounded in the news, only a few months after an attempt by the councilor Pascale Albernhe-Lahaie who, as a head of the three-rivières party, proposed in January to increase the number of possible payments. The council had finally refused to engage on this path saying that it would belong to the new council-which will be elected in November-to rule on it.
And if we judge by the speed with which the candidates for the town hall have drawn, one can legitimately think that there could be a change in the tax habits of the Trifluvians for the payment of the 2026 taxes.
Jonathan Bradley, advisor to the District of Richelieu and candidate for the town hall, was quick to publish an amazing statement on Wednesday afternoon.
The aspiring at the town hall proposes to increase by two to four the number of payments for the payment of municipal taxes, reacting to a situation which begins to be unanimous in Trois-Rivières.
“I want us to make the payment of taxes easier for everyone. By dividing the annual bill over four payments, the amounts to be paid would be smaller and more accessible, which would help families, single people and elders to better manage their budget, “he said. According to him, Trois-Rivières can follow the example of several other cities and offer this choice to taxpayers.
His colleague on the council, Dany Carpentier, also a candidate for the town hall, abounds in the same direction. In these “difficult times financially for several families”, the candidate also proposes to facilitate the payments of those who experience the need, but also to reward those who can pay in a payment.
In addition to allowing a greater number of payments, Dany Carpentier ventures on a more slippery land: he wants to offer a discount to taxpayers who will pay the amount of their property tax in a single payment.
“There are costs for the spread of taxes which will have to be paid by the whole. On the other hand, these costs will also be assumed by taxpayers who do not need them. Question of equity and leveling upwards, I propose to offer a discount to those who will pay their tax account in a single payment, ”argues the candidate.
“If the advice wants to give air to citizens who have difficulties by allowing them to pay throughout the year, why not also offer a discount to those who can pay in one payment in February? For me, that would be that, to work for the whole, ”he adds.
A candidate for the town hall for a third time, Jean-François Aubin had positioned himself on the question of the payment of taxes as soon as his candidacy announcement, last January.
“I shared my position when I announced my candidacy. I am in favor of being able to pay your taxes in four payments just as it is done in several cities. The current administration evokes the shortfall of interest income that taxes report in the form of placement. I answer this that this money is done on the back of citizens and that the amount of the taxes we pay, it is more than time to allow four payments, “he reiterated this week.
Finally, the chief of the three-rivières party strong city, Pascale Albernhe-Lahaie, also repeated her desire to see the number of payments go from two to four for taxpayers who would like to spread the amount of their taxes more.
Basically, she takes up the proposal she had made in this sense, during a council meeting last January. “The idea would be to go from two to four payments to give some respite to those who juggle a tighter budget,” she explains.
It is true that there are more and more taxpayers who, with the upward revision of the evaluation role and with the increase in the property tax rate, must see the deadlines for the payment of taxes with a little more fear.
The number of owners who find themselves taken by the throat and who must conclude payment agreements with the city for their land taxes is increasing. Worse still: the number of owners who find themselves in default of payment of the taxes is also increasing, which causes an extension of the list of buildings struck by a notice of sale for unpaid property tax in whole or in part.
As for the question of interest income of which the city would be private if it allowed a greater number of payments, one wonders if it is a valid argument. First, it is difficult to quantify this income. They are estimated between $ 300,000 and $ 500,000. For a city whose budget is around 400 million dollars and which annually gives off surplus of ten million, one can believe that it would not be so catastrophic.
And it should be mentioned that it is certainly not all taxpayers who would prevent one or two additional payments. Many citizens who have the means to do so want to pay their taxes as soon as possible.
In 2025, Trois-Rivières was an exception with its two payments.
Just consult the websites of several Quebec cities to see it. A majority of cities allow the payment of taxes in three or four payments. This is the case of Longueuil, Victoriaville, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Gatineau, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Drummondville and Repentigny. In the region, La Tuque, Shawinigan and Nicolet also allow payment in three payments.
Increasing the number of payments is a purely political choice. If we had to go ahead with such a measure, there would be a necessary adaptation, but we have already seen greater challenges in the municipal world.
Pending any change whatsoever, the deadline for the second payment of municipal taxes is this Monday …
