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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike+ j" |& x! \) _( ~( N
8 z& o9 s G* `1 g4 YThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. ) h% [3 @. G; N/ r: ^$ b) `
: [( e/ T4 x9 sEdmontonians 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. 8 o) v' d/ L4 o* A5 }; y5 v
& n( ^! j+ U. o8 V, q/ y/ g* m6 U"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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7 r2 X8 u6 s( c* S- M9 D3 w0 WCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
; J% o0 |' _: a& N3 d: B"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. + c+ G( s0 V; Y$ [; Q
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. & O3 g% n; V7 m; o
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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; |3 j: l3 `' K% n4 ]8 |- oCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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0 A; R/ }+ ], H0 MThe draft budget does not come out until November. - ~ B5 S! Q2 q+ W) c
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said.
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." ; q# U/ D8 _3 q7 S+ F
% a: `; G @ v- D- T& qMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 3 u! x4 H( l0 |2 w, d; _0 u
" B4 F3 h9 }4 [2 ?5 n0 JHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
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" S" s) a$ S' L! y9 Y* ~"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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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 1 u( V U- q K! x: e& {
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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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"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. ! r9 B0 x/ Y9 r, w8 a
3 i8 m) M- \' K" K/ ]- W"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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* S8 B# C' T# i# k' NThe 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. 9 V. `( x4 R2 J+ P% u+ k
6 H7 N1 U7 [. T) [# OTax 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
