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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike1 b6 C+ _6 a4 A* z) X
5 o: Z+ } |1 V4 r- gThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. 2 ~3 E0 G$ k. J x! D2 {8 z. p0 O U
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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. : @% f6 g. _7 |$ @0 W6 z$ X
1 e: h9 W" C. C1 a! v/ f6 bMandel 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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, B! j$ y* ?# E. X4 ~0 [% u"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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0 w( b, H6 l; b* W8 _: hCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
# |& [. @% ^& q" D1 O/ f( E"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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9 f6 D! v" q9 F4 k. KA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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+ A- G! L# n& s"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. 5 A2 N5 I. ?% p" \2 P# |1 U
. j5 X8 ?) u& y2 \1 O2 S7 ^Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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$ [+ K6 Y& b A" e/ j, FThe draft budget does not come out until November.
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1 }3 I. H4 D' k* d. M( N"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. + D, w1 v) H0 y
( {' o- Z/ {4 j+ nHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
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8 h+ o5 |% g. {8 ^5 C4 Z" j"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. 6 ?8 [) X4 z- T: T4 M d5 Z+ m( r! Y
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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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2 O- b* y# q1 b# q/ c8 MHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. ! H4 a6 m5 n. d/ ]2 ^) k3 ?, q
8 O: c; e3 Z3 ?, S6 n( ["They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. 0 u6 i* k2 t2 Q R
' a" p% j' n6 [' Y6 f"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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7 n( i) c# Q* Y+ w8 s6 H0 }The 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. " U& D8 u2 w7 T0 j3 \9 J. P8 n& W, X
/ b/ U5 b! x5 h, F& m" V/ _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
