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OntarioPassed40th Parliament, 2nd Session

Bill PR27 explained in plain English

Toronto International Film Festival Inc. Act (Tax Relief), 2014

Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
40th Parliament, 2nd Session
Bill number
Bill PR27
Full title
Toronto International Film Festival Inc. Act (Tax Relief), 2014
Current status
Passed
Latest event
Royal Assent received
Last updated
Apr 29, 2014

Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Royal Assent received
Latest Activity
Apr 29, 2014
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

This Act enables the City of Toronto to exempt the Toronto International Film Festival Inc. from municipal and school property taxes on its property at 350 King Street West and to cancel previously levied taxes under specific conditions.

What It Means

This Act allows the City of Toronto to pass by-laws that exempt the Toronto International Film Festival Inc. (TIFF) from paying municipal and school property taxes on a specific property located at 350 King Street West. This exemption would apply from January 1, 2014, as long as TIFF owns, occupies, and uses the property solely for its registered charity purposes. The Act also allows the City of Toronto to cancel property taxes that were due on this property from September 1, 2010, to December 31, 2013, under certain conditions. Additionally, it outlines provisions for transferring this tax relief to a new property if TIFF sells or disposes of the current one and acquires another property in Toronto within two years, provided the new property also meets specific conditions. If TIFF sells, leases, or otherwise disposes of the property, it may be required to repay the exempted taxes unless the tax relief is transferred to a new property.

What This Bill Does
  • Authorizes the City of Toronto to pass by-laws to exempt Toronto International Film Festival Inc. from municipal property taxes (excluding local improvement rates) on a specified property starting January 1, 2014.
  • Authorizes the City of Toronto to pass by-laws to exempt Toronto International Film Festival Inc. from school property taxes on the specified property for the same period as the municipal tax exemption.
  • Allows the City of Toronto to pass by-laws to cancel municipal property taxes (including interest and penalties) that were levied on the specified property from September 1, 2010, to December 31, 2013, and for any subsequent period where the exemption applies.
  • Allows the City of Toronto to pass by-laws to cancel school property taxes (including interest and penalties) on the specified property for the same periods that municipal taxes are cancelled.
  • Establishes conditions for tax exemption and cancellation, including the property being occupied and used solely by Toronto International Film Festival Inc., TIFF being the registered owner, and TIFF being a registered charity under the Income Tax Act (Canada).
  • Requires that if any portion of the specified property is occupied or used by an entity other than Toronto International Film Festival Inc., that portion is not eligible for the tax exemption or cancellation.
  • Provides for agreements between Toronto International Film Festival Inc. and the City of Toronto that may require TIFF to pay back the exempted taxes if it sells, leases, or otherwise disposes of the specified property.
  • Allows for the tax relief to be transferred to a newly acquired property in Toronto if TIFF sells or disposes of the specified property and acquires a new one within two years, subject to certain conditions being met for the new property.
  • Specifies that if the tax exemption or cancellation by-laws are revoked by the City of Toronto, any existing agreements regarding payment of amounts owed will remain valid.
Who Is Affected
  • Toronto International Film Festival Inc.
  • City of Toronto
  • Owners of adjacent land (in relation to local improvement rates)
  • The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and its role in property assessment
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The City of Toronto has the right to pass by-laws to grant tax exemptions and cancellations.
  • Toronto International Film Festival Inc. has the right to be exempt from municipal and school taxes on the specified property if conditions are met.
  • Toronto International Film Festival Inc. may have an obligation to repay exempted taxes if the specified property is sold, leased, or otherwise disposed of, unless the tax relief is transferred to a new property.
  • Toronto International Film Festival Inc. may have an obligation to pay taxes on any portion of the specified property not occupied or used solely by them.
Important Dates
  • Tax exemption begins January 1, 2014.
  • Tax cancellation applies to the period from September 1, 2010, to December 31, 2010, for the years 2011, 2012, and 2013, and any subsequent year or part of a year for which the exemption applies and taxes have been levied.
  • The Act came into force on April 29, 2014, the day it received Royal Assent.
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • Potential loss of municipal and school tax revenue for the City of Toronto on the specified property.
  • Cancellation of previously levied municipal and school taxes, including interest and penalties, on the specified property.
  • Potential future tax revenue for the City of Toronto if Toronto International Film Festival Inc. is required to repay exempted taxes or if tax relief is transferred to a new property and later taxes become payable.
Enforcement Or Penalties
  • If any portion of the specified property is used by an entity other than Toronto International Film Festival Inc., that portion is not exempt from taxation.
  • Amounts payable to the City of Toronto under an agreement related to the sale, lease, or disposition of the property can be added to the collector's roll and collected like real property taxes.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The Act does not specify the exact process or timeline for the City of Toronto to pass the necessary by-laws for the tax exemption and cancellation.
  • The specific details of the agreement required if Toronto International Film Festival Inc. sells, leases, or disposes of the property are not fully detailed in the Act and would be subject to negotiation between TIFF and the City of Toronto.
  • The Act does not specify what happens if the acquired land in Toronto is not solely occupied and used by Toronto International Film Festival Inc. or if TIFF is no longer a registered charity at the time of acquisition.
  • The Act does not define 'local improvement rates'.
  • The precise boundaries and legal descriptions of the 'specified property' are detailed in the Act but require reference to land registry and assessment records for full understanding.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
City of Toronto Act, 2006
amended

Section 318, concerning taxes collected on behalf of other bodies, is applied to school taxes cancelled by this Act.

Source: Section 4(4)

Assessment Act
referenced

Provides the definition of 'land' as it applies to the 'specified property'.

Source: Section 1

Income Tax Act (Canada)
referenced

Defines the requirement for Toronto International Film Festival Inc. to be a registered charity for the tax relief to apply.

Source: Section 2(1)(c), 6(2)(c)

Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.

Official text

Process Snapshot

Step 1
First reading
Feb 26, 2014
Step 2
Second reading
Apr 28, 2014
Step 3
Committee review
Apr 9, 2014
Step 4
Third reading
Apr 28, 2014
Step 5
Royal assent
Apr 29, 2014

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill does not have a published recorded division in the current official sources, so representative-by-representative vote counts are not shown.

Sponsor
Rosario Marchese
Sponsor party or district not listed
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

No published representative vote breakdown

The current official sources do not publish a recorded division breakdown for this bill, so there is no representative-by-representative table to show.

Official sources

Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.

How this data is sourced