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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 4 q) h" [! P" J8 t# A+ l7 G5 z8 V
8 h# N# v% h) }4 j+ \8 k" dEdmontonians 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. : W$ _% w, J1 \$ C3 G1 L6 j
# U! `* [/ ^' ~% \$ N( RMandel 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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' z# r) x& S* u$ ~/ }! c3 a"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. ' f( P" {# p0 Q& N. _
/ B: R3 m! _. B: \3 QCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates7 @" m9 L2 t& E: o ?2 d6 E# 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 $200 a year.
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1 [# k. s1 k0 _. A0 M" [( X3 n"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. ' Y3 r, u% N7 {4 V) h [3 y/ I
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. 1 t9 x" k$ w' m+ J( m8 s
8 P: C7 m4 a) d; C* SThe 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. ( ?. R9 m+ E2 l5 V
a/ [/ a) c6 G% S% W8 E"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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& L+ b& q: P: [" z+ mMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 0 `, X; z0 r# c3 r! ^& @
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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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' J7 W3 I1 g2 t# S! J"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.
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, ?& b" d: `, P& k, g K2 n5 qHe 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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! x+ W4 _1 L, y6 _9 J# E. z ]# f- W( `"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 4 T4 Y6 S) u* V: w
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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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, [5 O* [3 L* |' i5 p8 c. VThe 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. K8 z& V( R8 C' ]0 S! N
+ a5 V- {! R: ~& E: j: iTax 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
