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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike- ^( O; r# Q0 u# ~
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Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. $ b$ v& \# u* j, Z& d
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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.
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- D% r* s1 V1 M5 h: lMandel 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. % \. n+ \! v' z: L" `' ^' |/ S
4 J8 Q8 D- I% C0 l: |7 l6 k/ n ?& {"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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( n" O/ c% i7 c6 }$ j5 I9 Z# M1 |City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
+ T( R0 v% [0 _# r"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. " G/ W" F/ C0 c! E: K' ^
; k6 |1 e' f* _6 N& ?5 v"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. / w* B+ F3 p, t0 ?' J
# d4 r0 ^& {& }5 v! D* w/ pCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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The draft budget does not come out until November. ( \. k) J" c, B* z9 b2 U
8 u7 C3 b. Z- X2 s) w3 N! ["I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. 2 c9 \! d* w, I& F- J- |, Z- o
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"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." 2 t/ l$ d# x1 t- r0 O
% v" G7 S8 T5 I3 i1 _( fMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. 8 L* S* c4 L4 z7 B- V5 h* _- F
3 z. y( K1 q4 s! Y. ~: e$ uHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks. . }& q b5 r( R0 O# e! @! @
. u8 S. {9 {7 u$ u( {"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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+ v, Z7 y% b7 H' C3 iScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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2 ]# ]/ W: T. e$ \2 gHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. : k' k" |. Z2 i! J9 m
9 ~' I0 i% n' L2 A"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. * O/ c d9 |- Q3 ^4 V u3 R& u8 W
. x* }& f( Z: o' [# r$ 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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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. 4 i0 K5 N1 H- G6 t7 h: [$ U+ d
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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. ' K9 F6 C% }+ C
6 w' _) K4 q' L& n6 h% D" p/ _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
