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Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike. p8 E9 t. M) X* g9 {( \
$ A; X( z g* X' J5 @1 |5 @/ K2 KThink your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet. ) \- H- L5 o3 ?9 E$ \( y
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Edmontonians could face a "scary" tax hike of up to 10% next year, Mayor Stephen Mandel said. That would be the highest property tax increase since the 1980s. 4 v$ z! X/ x5 u/ ^, T
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Mandel tossed out the figure yesterday following a presentation by administration that outlined the intense economic pressures the city is facing as a result of Alberta's economic boom. ( Y' N- U9 i* f
& K7 E: W3 v, V1 O" Q"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
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City manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates5 ]. `5 ?; L% T6 N. ^9 X3 }) ]3 u/ `
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said. 2 T- |/ r, o' `" s& ]) B( a
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A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year.
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- P B: t/ o2 m3 W) Y! [: \3 `"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel. / b7 O. e& B3 x% c$ c" u
) O5 o$ \& s9 i- s' u# o5 Q0 Z, `' pCoun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point.
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5 G) B1 P0 [& C. ^: B, ^The draft budget does not come out until November. * n @( C3 M. Y! E/ U( Q1 O+ r
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"I'm not looking for a major increase next year, at least not too much more than we've already approved for this year," Hayter said. 1 [ A' n% \) {% E9 w
; o: I2 O8 q; C6 @! o8 o"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out."
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0 u2 Q/ u9 V h, JMaurer 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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"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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5 B: E8 {) b. M( F# g' NScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase. 7 @7 m; V- _4 `" o
% Z- k9 O* ?% j" c+ N' }2 tHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city. : N1 U |% Z8 V
# @6 |, G# O. }9 b' c"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. . S- e. }& l$ z" w. O }+ Y
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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."
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/ ?- x7 d, B" tThe 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.
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$ T+ B, C' |% RTax 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
