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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike6 f m& x s5 ?" z X
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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1 K' h* q6 `$ T& zEdmontonians 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. # B2 \6 |3 w# y. M2 K& f) u" ]; { d E
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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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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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* p/ x+ O/ c1 tCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
( M5 r! @& n W"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 $200 a year.
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- C0 v! U+ q: g& [* u"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. 5 w; v% V. [( _8 T) L$ v
& w( G+ l- X( ~Coun. 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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The draft budget does not come out until November. - \' C( `5 [2 J7 R% b
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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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* p$ i7 r) O4 w. f& ^) x: z$ b( ^2 N"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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$ a3 c/ @8 v7 yMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
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]' w3 b2 y5 s- {5 U1 }* RHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 2 J6 B7 D4 o% C/ D( ]& ]
, a1 l! c }3 V K, `; h"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. + o- y" C7 q. y& n; p% n
% z) k9 o* w& j$ u$ Z3 g& B1 W4 AScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 7 S: `* L" w' b2 U/ S
1 K/ f) q& G n* F' uHe 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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- u' s. q+ X* j7 ^$ ^% }+ A2 l( Y"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
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5 ^. l7 f- b/ F2 w: {0 F# X"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." - I$ T3 @8 |& A0 [
/ K$ z6 j9 q# O# V- NThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. 8 c" w! m, \5 J. @+ {
: s3 ]- [" _ e7 _5 Y. _2 CThe 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. : H. g" A+ U" B% C2 ]1 d
+ p& f, ]6 y5 l6 I4 }/ l6 NTax 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
