Inflation a motivator behind fee increases

By Medicine Hat News on August 12, 2022.

The city’s Corporate Services Committee announced Thursday fee increases for dishonourable payments, as well as tax certificate and information services beginning in 2023.

Dishonoured payment fees will see a 5% increase in the 2023 calendar year and a 4% increase in 2024, meaning the current fee of $38 will increase to $40 in 2023 and to $41.50 in 2024. Only applied to city customers whose cheque or electronic payments are not honoured by the customer’s financial institution, dishonourable payment fees have been rising annually since at least 2019, however the 2023 increase will be the largest single-year increase in the past five years.

Fees for tax certificate and information services will also increase for the next two calendar years, however the specific amount was not disclosed at Thursday’s meeting. The current fee is $40.50 – a rate which has increased by 50 cents per year since at least 2019.

Inflation is cited as a motivator behind the increases. City officials said Thursday upcoming fees were determined through comparison with other municipalities, of which they say Medicine Hat fees remain lower.

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