 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike1 i1 x) Z& E9 a- `/ u7 c, r8 K
1 |6 l" B5 B$ ?2 R$ D8 E9 Z
Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
3 C8 m6 F5 `$ {# |1 g( w5 n; H$ S$ L; `! h0 D' `8 l6 J
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. 1 i6 X" }- t6 {- u$ S, v
2 x4 v4 m! M4 {" s8 `, Y. j
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. , v# B6 B% N x
& C8 A9 M# y- @$ D, R0 |/ S; `"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
4 p# L" I$ g6 u' j$ X
9 ?2 B! C" d1 T. C7 Z* }City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
# l5 T7 `0 c3 ~7 n4 n' a/ H* y"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. - L! w$ Y: E* u7 ^; c$ O, z
4 X3 n& C7 c5 }$ XA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. , l' A+ k: D9 L1 A
7 r9 v$ @$ Q/ C5 e6 V5 |' s
"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. 2 @2 O8 W# G# j4 |$ K7 g- ~' q& f
+ p6 P6 F! o8 W6 d f( j
Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. 6 ~7 t: W2 V$ l7 ~7 N; M! ]" x
/ j1 D% t4 }+ ]0 N8 V; q+ VThe draft budget does not come out until November.
% C& |/ z/ B# p9 {: l& }" k/ M$ o4 U. u+ m/ s; }. [# Z6 G/ k2 _5 f7 J( B
"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.
: B5 J# f) l3 V* `, G0 r% U/ Z8 b
"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
" z5 k# K% a# o1 l( e" Z
0 w1 H5 F e# D2 q) _8 c7 rMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. ( V3 P! O, S! k- V( Y+ Z( W. ^
# N2 D: a- x: D- D7 Z6 G" a- f" ]8 AHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 9 p2 d9 f5 h4 O" A- H
, {2 G& e& h% l"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program.
! {; u" d) R8 a1 q& p; @
) F; ~5 T4 J6 h) q( g8 |) Q" xScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
* [5 T- o1 m" c; ~# l/ n5 P1 x+ c7 ~- i. j/ M
He said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. 5 \5 t0 ~: c Q. F2 G
5 v% S! u( \. a/ S6 q& d8 v"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 7 @2 m& x' V. R3 Z# w; p5 i9 u
! u7 y ^; u* P* j( j3 l i"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." ) S% j# w2 q2 k F) H- G0 Y$ {
9 S6 a$ U7 c2 z" y; z4 y4 ~
The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. : y$ v' M0 a8 z; g% X! X, e
3 F x; d' t) E0 {$ r
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.
5 e# x8 q. ?# ^+ l7 D" e
& q1 g+ N7 _3 r; g. vTax bills will be mailed May 25 and payments are due June 30. |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2007-5-9 22:25
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
发表于 2007-5-10 11:37
