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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike3 g1 b' N0 p. x. \9 j
& U7 y. w4 ?& h6 O9 m2 [Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. . c* L3 a1 u% X% M
" q5 d! N0 R. PEdmontonians 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. ' |4 E+ m1 O2 E# @* ~: K
1 y! A" @- w# N% ^3 P0 J/ nMandel 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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"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 estimates$ N4 k4 w0 H) s3 X9 x/ o h
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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+ @3 R6 U L% \8 ]+ j$ V0 g5 {A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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0 ]- z2 B1 m& `1 s6 dCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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+ M/ F& O, w9 WThe draft budget does not come out until November. 5 \$ M4 R9 P/ T8 A$ [/ d
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"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." 2 U; F$ v4 \3 D: B- S( Z+ [, \
. V" t$ k; D8 q5 ~0 W: x9 QMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. , z3 b* G/ ^+ y7 A$ c7 t- p' ]
# H& g Y- U' J9 o" @2 FHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 1 ~ R. h; c/ e' g5 V; R
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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.
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 7 E! g N; F" I. z9 T/ }
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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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1 p; w0 K+ Z4 X0 G. A"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 7 }9 D9 K( D$ O
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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." 9 k- t' }1 ?2 T8 z3 J
! a& M4 j2 h6 `' L% fThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. ! }6 W- {- a# U, c
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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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& Z ^7 ]0 M8 @4 DTax 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
