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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike1 b! z- v6 D* j. z H5 ^0 l
# u7 ?( T. {8 _* x' B# @Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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1 f) F# ~0 P; VEdmontonians could face a "scary" tax hike of up to 10% next year, Mayor Stephen Mandel said. That would be the highest property tax increase since the 1980s.
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5 x) W% K, i8 t* @9 l2 S# ~/ ]2 V' KMandel tossed out the figure yesterday following a presentation by administration that outlined the intense economic pressures the city is facing as a result of Alberta's economic boom.
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) p0 w1 Z- `- G/ f7 J3 l"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates5 Z1 l# v3 R' I- f0 L# A7 |% O: F
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. " Z; v& d6 \/ s: f2 j$ J
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. ; R) p5 F+ M) t1 A
0 }3 R7 L0 ^, S; q"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. ' g4 {! ?+ d8 {* J# y- r
3 \' H% U, P, J) H; o0 c: UThe draft budget does not come out until November. * W" ?! e' k% Z1 Q# ?4 c3 N
9 l/ H- D2 {* b( T1 m"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. 4 ^$ i2 M4 W( j1 k3 d! D# `/ Q
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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* e. o3 d$ h4 v% {However, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
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"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. * ?0 P: u* K$ U2 w# d
6 @0 Q( C% q; D5 |Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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% p+ m; U4 v% b( n- gHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. 0 J0 X4 I$ F# U& j( a. a; N
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"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
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4 O, U' j5 }/ W. r& ^4 e"I don't know what some of these members of council are going to be able to say to some pensioner who got a 2% hike in their pension."
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6 |5 E% C+ W& k! ]0 NThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. : I% \: x3 `+ N, J+ G, e
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The tax on homes will go up higher than average - about 7%. The figures include both municipal tax and the provincial education tax, which the city collects.
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Tax bills will be mailed May 25 and payments are due June 30. |
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发表于 2007-5-9 22:25
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发表于 2007-5-10 11:37
