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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. j) q) q5 p _0 w$ ]
, P& T) Z7 V$ r+ o ?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.
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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. , |! \9 I4 i" E- m Y# Z+ k. h
+ z* u" J" E t; j5 o6 }# a) i"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. $ v$ U* J `& z9 T8 U5 P9 v* M% U
9 E u$ x8 [& q+ nCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
; t( e1 C: D' T# \) P6 \* p" ["Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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1 w9 K/ n% A, R- _) ]$ s1 f9 \A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. . |& j: s& Q/ A7 l8 U/ d# W
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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* H! x; p$ y$ xThe draft budget does not come out until November. % L2 G; v, T; Q0 ?0 B
f# S/ p2 Y; j0 Y/ v- L( O' A"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.
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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. 2 _1 e/ u; t$ P9 e( F8 K& W: S
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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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4 ~" M: f. i, j+ WHe 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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"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said.
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4 z" z T. `8 q8 v8 i1 C2 Z"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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4 y" e5 {, u6 Y3 c0 cThe 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
