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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. $ q$ T1 `% W2 r- P; ]
; }& ^( i( @1 q; Q7 ]8 @* PEdmontonians 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. ' P/ ~8 a9 I1 C: F5 F
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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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- K# H. ?. }' r( T/ ^- @' s: u"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 9 }# N J' P1 t; V( S5 [
% S4 K+ H; K" \" ~" O4 |City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
4 n4 O, K! M, g+ ], x"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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# O8 R2 l: ]/ [) U- D3 QA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. + r* c% i) H) @+ @* A6 H
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The draft budget does not come out until November. ' i2 h# d( O' y( {" t n6 }
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. - v$ d! e: g! u6 H( o
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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Maurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 7 P P; d1 e2 q* Z% I* p% W
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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. 0 y- o" o; y" R, K8 N
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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.
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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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$ q& x% R! [7 U s6 ~4 fHe 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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9 k1 H/ o0 c3 A: Z- R- v: _4 f"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. ! _1 V3 R. `9 r. | y
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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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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said.
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& {( [: _$ h2 R" ?2 I& {; _6 g- S+ Z. RThe 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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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
