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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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% k: J: q! A p' i! q4 h+ jThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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" l) O/ e2 B1 h8 M1 wEdmontonians 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. 0 s8 ]6 w" \/ k# G' ^( u5 v# N
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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. 3 _( C& R+ g2 m
1 P, j a- d; p4 ?% H"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. 4 m# c9 E4 S* o: ~. K4 i R4 h; T
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
& o5 Y9 @* X" q5 L1 F, ?4 J"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. ( T5 L1 e9 V* |, e# U8 X
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. 2 _. C, @( G9 {7 Y
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. 7 x1 ?1 a& q% P) c) I) M: ^1 R
( u+ O+ R4 H. }' Z5 i. X z+ l, W MCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. ! M2 I& v& M3 T, J
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The draft budget does not come out until November. ! X+ ]$ F$ v8 K# [* z" G" x
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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." , T- E6 `8 n5 \) C* o, M
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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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! }5 }, q; K6 T5 o"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. 1 F" V6 L# R+ {* M) T0 R9 d
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. ' Z& ]6 N% X0 a0 N6 _/ E
! A" C* y1 j2 }( p5 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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j6 H% Q( R8 _: n5 T+ }"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." % T8 Y, w3 ~5 O( z' ~" Q
& T+ ~( x/ ^/ A0 v, g- aThe 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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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
