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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike9 t" |0 W j" I! g, o4 X* z6 d
1 I+ ]( Q& L `) _4 ]! nThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. ) H3 v5 _$ M2 c X/ G
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Edmontonians 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. # C4 g$ @- z/ {$ d2 c2 p" j, u% Y
' D8 o, J; q" E z2 Q9 qMandel 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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" M6 @7 I/ h: I"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. * i" S) Y+ `3 f& _& m8 \& Q
8 Y z$ k( T7 v2 mCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
+ V. Y/ b4 ?8 d"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. " ~* l1 E5 B m# E5 O
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. ) a+ X; Q0 [% s) V
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The draft budget does not come out until November.
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* d9 B5 ^( d, R" v- t"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. 9 v* R7 Z7 c4 u1 }% G0 Q% X% @
* Y+ U9 \; V0 g, F1 h# q; {% U"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." 6 m% y' A% g9 S$ v7 _3 X7 K
- K5 v' J! `2 q/ H4 }; J7 FMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. " i: \, m- ~& U1 l
9 W( O0 s$ d! ^2 _6 c. UHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 8 v; ?9 y( Y y7 ^& i
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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. 4 }" x# x; {* u" F
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. - |& \1 H% M e* R3 ?9 @
& i% [5 F8 X' L6 s& UHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. . [' }1 J5 [. x" g
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"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. , {" U1 ^4 C$ }2 \1 Y" X' x
# x5 {, n: `* q" Q5 M6 k" Y"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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: [1 F: y" e" _( BThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. , X" b8 {1 j" Y3 E$ c. P6 l
! E4 ?+ s/ K# DThe 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
