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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike2 g/ b& Z) h5 G- a
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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$ p7 c0 x7 ~" h, mEdmontonians 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( y% t6 i4 W* ^
! Z5 D9 ^! w( I; s. O3 i7 ?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. " p8 f0 q( @+ b! P
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. * W1 p& o; h. l0 h% C# A. w- W) @, o
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
* {- r+ B, N. v" t2 L+ \9 H"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. / A; L& G& [: ?9 \) z
3 ?; [8 M' O) K: KA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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. t- t4 ]- D; x+ G, n"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. ! z6 U/ R) V5 t* p" i9 Z
) | ~6 C9 h2 b2 jCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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& Q$ V6 k# O8 ^The 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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"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. + ~! h' j& v6 `6 u" O
; i M i8 U2 U( bHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. 3 ^3 y) A7 ^- u U7 n
/ ]/ M2 @$ T1 [0 z"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. + ]4 l7 w0 ]5 }- C! T5 z! {
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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. . x3 ~5 f# [( a% V9 Z/ d" Z
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He 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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' m1 Q( ^6 q$ J0 o+ K"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 8 U% o+ k, Y3 R9 ?
" {/ z" M! a' } B"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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! `3 U N8 x0 y0 T; D. UThe 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. / x( x4 F+ ?# p! Z/ {* q/ \0 ~
) L0 P( e1 C- V; cTax 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
