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Alberta landowners will shell out $153 million more in education property taxes this year. Responsible for that increase are rising property values and the cost of educating the growing number of students in Alberta K-12 schools. Although the bill may arrive on city, town, or county letterhead, many factors influence how much tax you’ll pay.

Q. Why are my education property taxes going up?

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In 2013, the provincial government decided 32 per cent of the province’s education budget should come from education property taxes. That hasn’t changed. This year, funding to the province’s 61 school boards will total $7.5 billion, which is a four-per-cent increase in spending from last year. Much of the rising cost is due to 8,200 new students expected to show up at Alberta schools come next September.

Enrolment in Alberta schools was up by 2.1 per cent this year, and even higher in Edmonton: 1,001 more students enrolled in Edmonton Catholic Schools last fall, and around 2,700 more arrived in Edmonton Public Schools.