Projet Montréal’s Legacy: 38% More Taxes for Fewer Services

Ensemble Montréal warns taxpayers not to be misled. Contrary to Projet Montréal’s promises, residents will face an average tax increase of 2.2% in 2025, significantly above inflation. While borough taxes have traditionally been part of previous budgets, the current administration has chosen to omit them this year to create an illusion of better financial management.

“Projet Montréal’s elected officials are trying to pull a fast one on taxpayers by manipulating the numbers. Citizens have seen their tax bills explode by an average of 38% since Projet Montréal came to power. They simply can no longer afford any more increases… especially when the metropolis remains in such a disastrous state!” declares the leader of the Official Opposition at Montreal City Hall, Aref Salem.

“Spend Smarter, Not More,” Ensemble Montréal Emphasizes 

For the Official Opposition, the 2025 budget of $7.28 billion—an increase of $2.1 billion since 2017—could well be the last straw.  

Between streets transformed into garbage dumps, record Emergency Medical Service calls related to sidewalk falls, growing insecurity, poorly coordinated construction sites, and our crumbling infrastructure, Montreal taxpayers have every reason to ask: Where are their tax dollars really going? The increase of over 3,500 employees since Projet Montréal came to power—including 36% more managers versus only 1.5% more blue-collar workers—has clearly not led to an improvement in the situation.

Finally, the Official Opposition sounds the alarm over the glaring lack of investments in homelessness and housing. While discussions about social coexistence and encampments are constant, barely more than three million additional dollars are allocated to support the homeless. In total, only 0.1% of the City’s budget is dedicated to them. Consequently, Ensemble Montréal warns Montrealers: in 2025, the housing and homelessness crises will inevitably worsen. 

“We need to spend not more, but better. Although they had 7 years to achieve this, Projet Montréal’s administration has failed to meet its responsibilities. Apart from bike paths and greening initiatives, its record is practically non-existent and demonstrates a flagrant lack of sense of priority. Homelessness is the perfect example of Projet Montréal’s administration’s abdication of responsibility in 2025, which prefers to invest tax increases in administrative overhead rather than on-the-ground solutions,” insists Alan DeSousa, Official Opposition spokesperson on financial matters.