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The new year is ringing in a new decade, but it’s also unfortunately bringing in a few more hits to your wallet.
There a fee increases set to take place for some services in Regina.
Regina city council has approved a 3.25 per cent mill rate increase for 2020. That works out to an additional $5.60 per month, or $67.20 per year, in taxes for a Regina homeowner with an assessed property value of $350,000.
The utility tax will also see an increase, rising by three per cent, or $4.14 per month for the average homeowner.
The cemetery fee in Regina will go up by four per cent, for a majority of services. This includes the price of a standard plot, which will go from $1,695 to $1,765. All 2020 cemetary fees can be found here.
Meanwhile, a person’s SaskPower bill will see a rise as the federal carbon tax goes from $20 per tonne to $30 per tonne.
SaskPower estimates this increase will have a year-over-year cost increase for customers that will be equal to 1.5 per cent or $22 per year. SaskPower also said farm customers will pay an additional $60 in 2020.
While many SaskTel users won’t see a rise in their cellphone bills in 2020, about 34,000 customers will see a slight bump. The company plans on migrating month-to-month customers – those not on a contract – that are on older plans no longer offered to newer ones. This will result in an increase of $5 per month, which will lead to an increase of $170,000 in revenue per month for SaskTel. These changes are set to begin in February 2020. These migrations will allow SaskTel to continue to invest in their wireless network.
Back on Dec. 16, SaskTel also began to no longer accept bill payments in 11 of its 12 corporate retail stores. This includes two locations in Regina (Cornwall Centre and Harbour Landing), two in Saskatoon (Scotia Centre and Stonegate Shopping Centre), Moose Jaw, Yorkton, North Battleford, Swift Current, Estevan, Weyburn and Melfort.
If you’re a property owner or developer applying for subdivision approval from the province you’ll be paying more in 2020. The subdivision processing fee will be increasing from $200 per lot to $300 per lot.
But it’s not all bad news for your wallet heading into 2020.
Employment insurance premiums are set to decrease on Jan. 1.
The federal government says the premium for individual workers will be $1.58 per 100-dollars of insurable earnings, which is a decrease of four-cents per 100-dollars.
The annual adjustment also includes an $1,100 increase in the maximum insurable earnings, which will be $54,200.
— With files from The Canadian Press
