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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike
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9 [! m4 t. x2 R& MThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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! p6 f& X* o. [2 R+ W7 oEdmontonians 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. 5 d+ |8 A* }+ A9 k* O) B
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"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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8 F3 Y$ V: A' u% a: a/ FCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates+ }4 K( G3 u: q+ |6 }( i
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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o& |& v. n8 d( EA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. * K) i0 x% e) L/ ^4 u% m; p3 U# Z
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. 1 y2 _5 c( S5 b
! Y; q) j; R$ ~" Y5 bThe 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. * z* Q$ N: ]$ W* R+ d3 ^
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." ( S7 O4 \6 Z5 w! M g
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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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' f! P: t" i+ R5 v"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.
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4 q9 j) x, Z' B% kHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. 8 c" ^' v! {* O1 U3 p( m/ n$ V0 A% X
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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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"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." " L1 O! B& z5 Z" M2 N S6 I4 E
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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. 6 W2 W0 p3 p9 j$ V
" j( q# R, O) z) j4 v3 l3 r# GTax 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
