Municipal Accommodation Tax & Destination Marketing

The Townships within the County of Haliburton will implement a Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) starting October 1, 2024. The MAT is a visitor tax applied to overnight accommodations, specifically short-term rental stays. This initiative aligns with the practices of numerous municipalities throughout Ontario that have already adopted a MAT program.

To view the Township MAT by-laws, please see the links below.

• Algonquin Highlands(External link) (External link)
• Dysart et al(External link)(External link)
• Highlands East(External link)(External link)
• Minden Hills(External link)

SHORT-TERM RENTAL QUESTIONS

For inquiries regarding the licensing and enforcement of Short-Term Rental By-Laws, please visit the following websites to access Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to the program.

• Algonquin Highlands - Short Term Rentals - FAQ's(External link)(External link)
• Dysart et al - Short Term Rentals - Site Plan Checklist(External link)(External link)
• Highland East - Short Term Rentals - FAQ's(External link)(External link)
• Minden Hills - Short Term Rentals - FAQ's(External link)

Use of MAT Funds - Municipal Services Corporation

As part of this process, the County of Haliburton will establish a Municipal Services Corporation to manage 50% of the revenue collected through the program, as legislated by Province. These funds will be allocated towards tourism marketing, promotion, support, and the further development of the tourism sector within Haliburton County. This new organization will act as the County's Destination Management Organization (DMO)

For additional information regarding the Municipal Accommodation Tax, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section on this page.

To review the County's current Destination Management Plan please click HERE(External link)

Public Consultation

The County is currently conducting a public survey on the use of the MAT funds and the priorities of the organization. Please see the link below to participate.

In addition to the public survey, county staff will host three virtual engagement sessions on the following dates and times:

Wednesday, July 24^th at 2 p.m.

Wednesday, August 14^th at 6 p.m.

Wednesday. August 28^th at 2 p.m.

To register for one of these sessions please contact Angelica Ingram, Manager of Tourism with the County of Haliburton at aingram@haliburtoncounty.ca(External link)