2/20/2011 11:27:01 PM

February 18, 2011

Mayor Rob Ford begins early mail out of Toronto car tax refund cheques

Mayor Rob Ford mailed the first batch of car tax refund cheques today. The mail out comes six weeks earlier than anticipated as refunds were originally scheduled for April.

"Getting rid of the car tax is a major win for the taxpayers of Toronto under this new administration," said Mayor Ford. "Improving customer service is my number one priority and the early mail out of the cheques demonstrates my commitment and promise to doing just that."

Approximately 147,000 refund cheques will be mailed over the next six weeks. The cheques will be processed based on the licence plate renewal dates, beginning with January 2011 renewal transactions.

The car tax - also known as the Personal Vehicle Tax (PVT) - was eliminated by City Council at its first full meeting on December 16, 2010 effective January 1, 2011. This means that all license plate holders who live in the City of Toronto will no longer have to pay the car tax. Vehicle owners who purchased a two-year renewal or an early renewal in 2010 will begin receiving their refund for the 2011 year.

More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/finance/revenue_tools.htm and by calling the City of Toronto at 311.