Who We Are
Provincial legislation mandates SAMA to:
- develop and maintain the province’s assessment policies, standards and procedures;
- audit assessments, and review and confirm municipal assessment rolls; and
- provide property valuation services to local governments (municipalities).
We are partly funded:
- by the provincial government for our core service of developing assessment policy, auditing municipal assessments and confirming assessment rolls; and
- through "requisitions" that municipalities pay for SAMA field services.
Here’s what we do, in a nutshell
SAMA provides reliable, up-to-date property assessment valuations – the pillar upon which governments set tax policy and property tax rates.
For this reason, SAMA focuses on providing objective, accurate, understandable information to all stakeholders.
SAMA strives for a quality assessment system that is:
- accurate and up-to-date
- based on professional standards
- defensible
- understandable
- universal
- cost-effective and easily administered
- equitable, and
fair for all property owners.
It’s important to note what SAMA doesn’t do, because there is often confusion:
- SAMA doesn’t make tax policy, and
- doesn’t set mill rates.