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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike0 J$ Y' N4 T% ~; {" Q
3 K& g2 A: Y9 cThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 3 U) _: o: j0 w1 ]9 p% {1 _0 O9 A
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Edmontonians 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. / u; A! Y7 c5 E! A3 U
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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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$ j. V0 o; X+ t" K" q- q$ f. j"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. ; v' |! G* B, W9 h- h8 e3 C- e
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
6 b9 j; a0 N1 Y8 e E. \"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. % j* b; A) a7 E2 I6 ?# [" o7 h
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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- N- C6 ^# P! c"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. " w+ ^# O$ _" 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.
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- H+ M0 ?) Q8 ZThe 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.
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8 _+ V8 u0 ~1 z- e8 L9 @"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. 1 V( ~ k8 n/ Z4 P: k0 P; \
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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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"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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2 c4 {. I$ X; @, u( u% Q0 HScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 0 }6 H! K9 v$ r* A6 A
, N& C& e3 n3 e1 lHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. ! {% F" F" q% l* g* a! z
: J5 \4 m. U3 r"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. % U8 T6 D6 v3 ]) X# g6 N
( e _, [) x; F; }* M"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." ' h4 t$ `; G0 R. z G; |
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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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1 F6 O+ ^* K c$ E$ s0 KThe 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. 8 ^% I; X( H l0 i) J7 v5 f4 z
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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
