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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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( g! c0 O, q: GThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 7 e' p& \5 |2 R" O! X& X: q+ S. q
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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. 5 p/ F. |8 C p
# U1 t9 t& J: T) B2 ?Mandel 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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$ J2 r; F$ e2 ~ }& F7 l$ b"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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; k( g3 W! v+ U0 ? \: Z5 w8 l1 vCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
) f/ E, x4 \# _8 ?. P; ?' P1 A"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 $200 a year. : v8 y# l. Z) a i3 N: y- ]
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. 5 i! V) \# H+ {, t5 Z
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. : S3 Y N% r8 \+ g. L/ D
5 ?2 ~- ]' j7 |9 K4 q8 W$ u4 y vThe draft budget does not come out until November. 2 q0 r9 ^. x9 {
8 G* q4 y' g) G9 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.
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." % g( K5 M7 t% U! J
0 g/ I+ Q6 l% K& G, BMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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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. 2 k: f, N6 j$ A/ t
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. . G8 r( O L. v1 {5 o" i( {
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He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city.
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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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"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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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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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. 1 W: G; r. P" G. ^! S8 |
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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
