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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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+ ?$ r4 `" n5 S- }5 F7 K# SThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. ' [' M& W- {/ e9 q8 K* H) s" ~
& m4 c. }0 }& M+ E7 r% ~4 m8 iEdmontonians 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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0 E) T4 I; R! _# I! `8 s5 aMandel 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. - i+ g' g! G/ k5 g. i
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates7 W& Q- g& p8 M$ z* y# g
"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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"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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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. ; D7 _ J; v+ B, O9 H b4 {
' k" p; l" l0 Z: P" DThe 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. ! V& m2 X6 H( t5 Z- ^
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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+ e! b% j" e9 q5 yMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. . c+ h3 C; w! m! O+ N
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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. : S4 g' L6 r2 h0 E, n* k! t+ F
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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. ! E {8 a' {1 K
$ H2 u+ y/ ?1 i2 j; dScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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* V+ e3 Q# M1 f! zHe 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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6 C/ J) G- {- M; b% p"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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1 f: |& g) Y, {6 [$ e+ ~" _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.
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+ w/ a2 ?0 g% K w, ?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
