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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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: d- b! ?: y# B6 l8 r6 ~, hThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. , ?* j; h1 ]* O9 R* Q$ ^ d2 y4 {; w4 K
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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.
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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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' x! |, L8 Y3 q1 n, E"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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# U) z O1 b0 f; ^" ~City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
* A, d! G. G( L! T* M# `$ p4 V"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 $200 a year.
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h+ g' _1 v+ y4 W$ }"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. " b9 s$ M& c4 w, f, ^! D `( l
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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. ' Y/ V z; X8 O8 S* D9 p* ^
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The draft budget does not come out until November.
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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." . c% u+ J9 ^ [
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Maurer 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. ' ^' ^4 E( X% _/ k# R
, m) y) N3 x4 O/ g1 d/ Q9 kScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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8 j* p% M/ }# g, W+ {% yHe 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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# l" L8 q# }1 H% j7 R& n2 u"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. : e& `' c8 S( A' N9 D& s" |
K, Y0 Q4 F' Y; X! Q1 B9 |% D% o4 Z"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." : c8 j8 K6 @2 w% x9 g8 g
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. ! X* | T+ J6 v2 R
9 K J" }/ b9 i+ TThe 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. # b) x$ ], {7 q1 N5 K5 @
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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
