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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike' n: t( w' r) X8 N2 j
, x3 \8 c" z" o- n' ^7 @& oThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
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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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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. 1 D6 ]5 a5 A0 ]. O" H$ G6 b
( k r; V: a+ q" P D5 m# C"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers. . O' s5 E P( o
) u J6 J1 Y; ?; N @City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates
' y% z5 C0 z! G1 n: `: z/ k+ C' j"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. 2 t7 K% F- w! n2 ?$ d
& R, X* _6 P6 u$ m+ uA hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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3 V/ p7 O! s/ u H4 o"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
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Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. # b$ A3 j/ ?2 M' L) D2 f9 c- z2 r; l
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The draft budget does not come out until November.
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9 Q8 ?: S: a6 P" k/ L( }5 i7 ?4 D"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." ) D; \% [, V5 ?3 \3 n4 g
: l# N8 i$ H- eMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike. & T6 r- H$ j7 f6 P3 E
/ V- u& v8 }! LHowever, 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. * R/ q% O4 ~* c* Z+ v3 t
, e8 h G& @( w2 X' qScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
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% F3 p. s4 u! y: {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.
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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." ( K9 C3 ^ m3 e# N6 t0 T! \6 |
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The average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. & [3 r2 A0 Y, T9 l5 ~
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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
