 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Mayor warns of 'scary' tax hike- S0 l' `- `6 w7 h; c9 F
4 U$ w/ o. m C; Y5 s2 Y& v
Think your property taxes are high now? You ain't seen nothing yet.
& C: ]7 r4 r, f7 A+ U6 o0 g" K( w/ a7 w% I6 V' A0 _& n' F- J
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. 2 V4 w7 K1 z' I0 R
! c' \6 C$ w3 h0 g5 b# G7 `7 V$ o
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 t, ?2 K7 x1 f5 a4 j
5 X% E, ~' k* a"Looking at this we're talking an 8-10% tax increase," Mandel said in council chambers.
' w: k: Y4 t& d/ g, H P6 X4 p7 G6 W
5 W4 V/ F0 b6 y- Y/ QCity manager Al Maurer confirmed that Mandel's prediction was on the money, based on initial cost estimates( N1 ~: S1 M6 D4 b, N8 _
"Given the amount of it, it's going to be scary," the mayor said.
% ^/ G+ p# c+ D! h- ~7 ]" I" [. P3 R- [! z, k% }6 q
A hike in that range could cost the average homeowner up to $200 a year. 0 |" ?/ ~3 M5 J, k8 g
' y1 }0 k5 m7 e' q"There's no question costs are going up," said Coun. Michael Phair, who conceded the tax hike "may very well" be in the range predicted by Mandel.
" Q9 h( y2 k- } a
+ h. N8 K) y5 k2 B2 }" R' z( @Coun. Ron Hayter said it's still very early in the process, and he cautioned against getting overly anxious at this point. # @, N( H, F8 K( D- V( m" G
' Q7 c# i. s6 ?& {8 f" kThe draft budget does not come out until November.
' n' d/ b7 p% l7 r; g$ Y
# h$ K% e4 x( x, z) I, X4 ]"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. % l/ b9 j* n0 M p
% e5 s7 B4 |7 l# b0 p- _- `7 g"It won't be as bad as some people are making it out." ) w2 a; O; G- E, w: q
# P8 V7 E' d/ m% i; I5 B0 |$ LMaurer said income from investments and various financial strategies could offset a large hike.
f! N& V7 | ~+ o
1 g3 V, O) w8 n# r+ bHowever, he said there aren't really any city programs that could be cut in order to save a few bucks.
! S) [* D# o8 m2 C6 t; n: H: U: S5 M+ N! G
"We've certainly got more demands," Maurer said, noting council still has to find money to fund an improved snow-clearing program. ) Z! C. a# T6 w
`3 u3 r. c! _) S- m; C$ y# N/ BScott Hennig, with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said there's no excuse for a double-digit tax increase.
. Y& u6 F2 z/ r9 L4 L+ W
4 V& E1 Q0 @3 o( V& bHe said hikes should be limited to inflation, which is pegged at 5% both this year and next, according to the city.
0 f& _! A, H, j8 d. a# X9 ~3 S% y7 P i
"They're going to hear from a lot of angry taxpayers if they're looking at 10%," Hennig said. * u9 E% M# v5 M( A" H: o
7 A H9 Q b7 s# I3 h' ?
"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."
* u* j2 p/ w2 Z" a: f
1 \9 B; M: V! n- `" p- n5 oThe average property tax bill in Edmonton will go up 4.95% this year, the city has said. 6 g+ `4 ^8 U! }
3 T7 R& r6 p4 P: ^! O
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 S }% x; p4 S
3 ` X1 K; P1 j3 m; H
Tax bills will be mailed May 25 and payments are due June 30. |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2007-5-9 22:25
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
发表于 2007-5-10 11:37
