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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike; o [; l0 J9 p: y" ~* O
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. [6 C6 u4 a1 G8 P
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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. 3 N" c$ B7 p j5 p
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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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- E- U, Y; f2 `! d& a" B' D"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. $ n# k6 Z8 s3 D- h; b
# W; M1 f% A( R5 _( {City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates! O5 j3 s6 a9 o9 E
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. 2 P h5 ^+ A) c+ d, P$ @
% a# Q( h! N+ k i' K& kA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. _' I2 H6 `8 r, C$ H. ~" E
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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. ) w% E4 ~ e8 I# u
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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. 3 l0 b& v Z7 L4 ~: q
# z: i4 n: C# ?0 [4 R0 _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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Scott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. ( b( m4 D' H2 @$ E, n! K
5 [/ D, J, @- KHe 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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4 J) h6 w1 {4 I) N"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. ! b* L; Z: Z! B% r+ I
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"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." ! F2 B- D0 D3 f1 P3 `, s6 v
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. ' V2 \4 a7 M* E x3 F' g
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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 e3 f- i" E8 s/ f9 q
! h; S. V# e5 d9 x r# W4 UTax 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
