What is the Assessment Appeals Committee?
The Assessment Appeals Committee is required by provincial legislation to hear and determine assessment appeals pertaining to the values of real property; local improvement assessments; the tax exempt status of a property; and conservation and development area authority assessments.

What can be appealed to the Assessment Appeals Committee?
Your appeal to the committee must be against the decision of a board of revision or against the omission, neglect or refusal of that board to hear or decide an appeal to it.

How do I file my appeal?
Your municipality or area authority will be able to provide you with a form on which you must state your grounds for appeal and other information required for appeal to the Assessment Appeals Committee. For leave applications to consolidate appeals, or for commercial/industrial appeals intended to be filed directly with the Committee, please contact this office for application and fee information.

Who do I file my appeal with?
When appealing to the provincial level you are required to file notice of appeal with:

Secretary, Assessment Appeals Committee
Saskatchewan Municipal Board
4th Floor, 2151 Scarth Street
Regina, Sk S4P 2H8

How much time do I have to appeal to the Assessment Appeals Committee?
An appeal to the Committee against the decision of a Board of Revision must be made within 30 days of being served with written notice of the decision. In the case of the omission, neglect or refusal of the Board of Revision to hear or decide an appeal, the request must be made within the calendar year for which the assessment was prepared.

Can I appeal directly to the Assessment Appeals Committee?
In most circumstances, you cannot. An appeal to the Assessment Appeals Committee is based on the record of the Board of Revision. If you did not appeal to and appear before the Board of Revision, then the Assessment Appeals Committee has no authority to hear your appeal. There are three exceptions:

• omission, neglect or refusal of the Board of Revision to hear your appeal; or
• where the property being appealed is classified as commercial or industrial, the total fair value of that property exceeds $1 million, and all parties to the appeal agree to proceed directly to the committee; or
• on an application for leave to consolidate appeals.

If I have a number of different properties located in numerous municipalities, and the basis of my appeal is the same for all properties, must I file appeals in each municipality?
Yes, but at the same time as you file with the various individual municipalities, you may also file an application for leave to consolidate to the Assessment Appeals Committee, requesting that all of the subject appeals be heard as one appeal.

Can I base my appeal on the fact that I feel my taxes are too high?
No. Legislation outlines what are considered valid grounds for appeal. Taxes are not a valid basis for appeal. The amount of taxes you pay is based upon the municipality's mill rate which is tied to the assessment of the properties in that municipality. If you feel that your assessment is too high you must compare it to similar properties within your municipality or school division to provide evidence to the Board of Revision that your property is assessed incorrectly.

Is there a fee to appeal?
An appeal fee is required by the Assessment Appeals Committee and must be filed within the same 30 day appeal period or the appeal is deemed to be dismissed. Assessment Appeals Committee fees are based on a scale related to the assessment of the property under appeal: $50 for each $100,000 in assessed value, or portion thereof, to a maximum of $600. For example, if your residence is assessed at $75,000 your appeal fee would be $50. If your residence is assessed at $125,000 then your appeal fee is $100. If your commercial property is assessed at $3 million then your appeal fee is the maximum amount of $600. With respect to an application for leave to consolidate, the fee is $1,000. Appeal fees are refundable where the appeal is successful, or where the appeal is withdrawn a minimum of 5 days prior to the scheduled hearing date.

What is the "record" of the board?
Once an appeal is filed from a decision of the Board of Revision, the committee requests the record of the board, which is comprised of the following documentation:

• notice of appeal to the Board of Revision;
• materials filed with the Board of Revision prior to its hearing;
• any exhibits entered at the Board of Revision hearing;
• the minutes of the Board of Revision, including a copy of any order made to allow a revision to the grounds of appeal;
• any written decision of the Board of Revision; and
• a written statement describing the portion, if any, of the hearing before the Board of Revision that was recorded by a person appointed by the Board of Revision

How many members sit on the hearing panel?
Generally the hearing panel consists of three members of which one member will be assigned to Chair the hearing.

Where are the hearings held?
Hearings are scheduled in various locations throughout the province and generally parties to the appeal should not have to drive more than one hour to a hearing location.

What happens at the hearing?
For the further information on the hearing process, see Appeal Hearing Process.